Scooby Doo and the Black Magician's Ghost
by Station Square Guardian
Summary: Mystery Inc. along with two old friends and the Hex Girls, try to solve a mystery, involving a haunted mansion, a ghost who appears to know everything about every single one of them and a few surprises that will make the gang shiver.
1. An Unexpected Visit

First of all, I don't own any of the Scooby-Doo franchise characters, with the exception of my own original characters. This story is written by me, for those who love Scooby-Doo, the Mystery Inc. and the rest of the supporting characters that appeared throughout the years, in one of the best cartoons ever created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, two of the greatest cartoon wizards of the 20th century. Let me just say to you that in the story I'm going to incorporate various elements from all of the Scooby-Doo cartoon series (with the exception of Shaggy and Scooby-Doo: Get a Clue!), the animated movies and of course, the two live-action movies, with a few changes, which of course will allow me to create the ultimate Scooby-Doo story! This is just to warn you, because you're going to find a lot of references to them in the text. Plus, Ulyferal is going to help me with this new work.

Anyway, on with the show, and I hope you all like it…

Scooby-Doo and the Black Magician's Ghost

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visit

The sun was setting beyond the horizon as the Scooby gang settled down for some well deserved rest and relaxation at their headquarters. They'd been out on a mystery call a couple of weeks ago in Miami and after solving the case they were glad to be home again, in Coolsville, after enduring multiple complications along the way. They were tired and needing a break. Home at last, they wasted no time in splitting up to pursue the things they liked to do on their off time.

Fred had escaped to the living room and was watching the latest episode of "Supernatural'. Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby had gone to their most favourite place in the whole world…the kitchen. And as usual, making one of their most outrages 'snacks' just before dinner time.

"Like, you think these 25 bacon, cheese, onion, tomato, vanilla ice-cream, triple fudge and strawberry jam sandwiches are enough, Scoob, old friend, old buddy, old pal?" Shaggy asked as he finished putting a slice of bread on top of the huge sandwich that he made, putting it next to the other ones.

"Raybe…" Scooby answered, eyeing the sandwiches dubiously.

"You're right, old pal. We'd better make a few more just in case these here aren't enough." Shaggy laughed, good-naturedly as he began to make some more sandwiches.

"Hey, guys!" Came a call from the living room. "Since you're in the kitchen, would you mind bringing me a bag of corn chips?" Fred asked. "This series is really making me hungry."

"Sure you don't want anything else?" Shaggy asked as he got the chips from a cupboard. "Maybe a milkshake or soda or some catsup for your chips, Freddie?" He sang out questioningly.

"No, just the corn chips, Shaggy, thanks." Fred demurred.

Elsewhere in their headquarters, Daphne was in her room trying on a new sweater she ordered from the Internet. This one was a fluffy purple one, with a dark stripe on the sleeve ends. She'd decided to order it so she could have something new to match the new purple trousers she'd bought the previous week. Most of Daphne's wardrobe was purple, with only a few exceptions. Still, she didn't mind wearing the same colour over and over again, because it was her favourite.

"Well, this sweater is perfect! My fashion sense never fails me." She said, as she passed her fingers through her hair, wondering if she should change her hair colour or not. "Maybe I should dye my hair black just to see how it would look on me… but if I do that I'll end up looking like my cousin Danica. I don't want people to mistake me for her." She sighed shaking her head. "Maybe blond… no… that's just not my colour, either. I guess you can't mess with perfection." She giggled at herself, as she studied her image in her mirror.

Now Velma's idea of fun was working in the laboratory, where she usually analysed some of the clues they found, while investigating a mystery. She loved puttering around with new experiments. Presently, she was dressed in her white lab coat, to keep her clothes from getting ruined by a runaway experiment and instead of her normal glasses; she was wearing a funny pair of goggles. It made her look rather like a mad scientist.

At this moment she was working with various liquids and watching their reactions when mixed. She gently grabbed a filled test tube and poured a few drops from it into another filled test tube sitting in a holder.

The instant the two liquids met there was a minor chain reaction, the liquid in the standing tube turned red and was burbling. Velma smiled at the reaction.

"Hmm… interesting…" Then giggled as a memory floated into her mind. "Reminds be of my chemistry classes. So, now let's see what will happen if I add something else to this… Jinkies!" She jerked, startled by the doorbell sounding.

The bell was odd because it sounded like a ghost giggling. They were all used to the rather amusing but a little creepy sound by now, but sometimes when they were deeply involved with something it could catch them by surprise.

Daphne was on her way to the living room but detoured when the bell rang. "I'll get it guys!" She sang out. "Shaggy and Scooby probably ordered a pizza and forgot to mention it." She said more to herself since no one was close enough to hear her.

She pulled open the door and stared at the young man standing there, definitely not a pizza delivery guy. He was about the same age as she and her friends. He was tall and slim, well muscled, had dark, spiky hair, pale skin and green eyes. He was wearing a red shirt under a black leather jacket and a pair of blue jeans with black tennis shoes which looked like Air Jordans. Hanging from his coat label was a pair of sunglasses.

"Hello. Can I help you?" Daphne asked, eyeing him curiously.

The stranger's eyes widened in surprise. "Daphne? Don't you recognize me?" He asked, a little miffed.

Now it was Daphne's turn to frown. She studied the young fellow closely but was forced to shake her head. Something about him was familiar but she still couldn't place him. "Sorry, you seem a bit familiar, but I just can't place you!" She said finally.

He sighed. "Oh, well it has been a while, a couple of years at least since I saw you and the gang and I have changed some as well. Let me give you a few clues… I used to have golden, brown hair, wore training suits…" He said trailing off at her blank look.

"Sorry, still nothing…" Daphne said, shaking her head.

He tried again. "Okay, here's two more clues, my brother and I we're pretty close to you and the rest of the gang and I was the one to give you your nickname; 'Danger-prone Daphne.' due to you always getting caught by the bad guys." He smirked a little at that memory.

Suddenly, Daphne face lit up as she did remember him. The guy standing before had been an original member of their group before they had become Mystery, Inc. She smiled brightly.

"Sebastian Milnor!"

"That's my name, Daph, don't wear it out, okay?!" He said mock seriously making her laugh.

"Sebastian, it's great to see you again!" Daphne said, as she hugged him, and kissed him on the left cheek.

"And it's a pleasure to see you too! So, you alone or are the others around?" He asked, grinning.

"Oh, silly me, come on in. Yeah, the guys are all here. They'll be thrilled to see you." Daphne said happily as she gestured him to come in then led him into the living room.

Shaggy and Scooby had, by now, joined Fred watching TV and looked up as Daphne and Sebastian came into the room.

"Hey guys! Guess who's dropped in to see us." She said brightly.

Shaggy just looked at the guy in confusion. "Like, who is this, Daphne?"

"It's Sebastian, Shaggy."

"Rebastian?!" Scooby exclaimed, recognizing him. The Great Dane gave a huge jump, landing right in front of Sebastian and starting to lick his face with his huge tongue.

"Hey, Scooby! You put on a few pounds, you know?" Sebastian said with a laugh as he petted Scooby on the head. "But you, Shaggy, look just like I remember you. Thin as a toothpick!"

"Wow! Like, and you're so different since the last time we saw you, Sebastian… I think me and Scoob would have never recognized you, if we saw you on the street." Shaggy said, finally realizing who this was and getting up to shake Sebastian's hand.

"While, I would have easily recognized you two." Sebastian smiling broadly.

"It's great to see you again, Sebastian." Fred said having come to stand close by and now took his turn to shake the guy's hand.

"Wonderful to see you again to, Fred. However, there's someone missing. Where's Velma? I really wanted to say 'hi' to her." Sebastian asked, looking around.

"Oh, she's probably in her laboratory and didn't hear the door bell. I'll go get her, while you guys make Sebastian comfortable." Daphne suggested warmly.

"Sure, no problem… We'll make him feel like he was home." Fred agreed, gesturing for Sebastian to have a seat.

"Actually, Fred, in theory, I'm home, remember? I was once part of this gang, too." Sebastian chuckled.

"He's right, Freddy. So have a seat, dude. I bet you've got tons of things to tell us about what you've been doing." Shaggy said as he retook his seat and began eating again. Scooby did the same on the other side of Shaggy.

Daphne went down the hall then took the stairs down to the laboratory, but was surprised to see no one there. When she started to look around, she found the computer was on, which meant Velma had just been there then suddenly she heard a small noise.

It came from beneath one of the desks. She slowly got closer, trying not to make any noise, and quietly knelt down. Bending her head to the left, she peeked under it to see who or what was there.

She was surprised to see find it was Velma. She had her glasses back on and was crouched with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was trembling as if she was cold. Daphne waved at her, but got no response at first, so she called her name.

"Velma.... Velma, are you alright?"

"Jinkies, jinkies, jinkies, jinkies…" Velma kept mumbling to herself.

"Velma!!!" Daphne resorted to yelling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Daphne, I guess my mind was on the Moon." Velma said, blushing in embarrassment while still shaking.

"I would say you were further away than that, more like Pluto or Sedna. What's going on, why are you hiding under your desk? Our old friend Sebastian has come to pay us a visit and he's in the living room right now." Daphne told her.

"I heard you saying his name and that's the problem, Daph…" Velma said, tensely.

"What do you mean, Velma?" Her friend asked, puzzled.

"Do you remember he had a crush on me?" She asked hesitantly. Daphne nodded slowly. "Well, I had a crush on him, but I never had the courage to tell him. I can't see him… I might faint or even have a heart attack!" Velma said anxiously.

"No, you won't, Velma. It's been a couple of years since you've seen him and he's changed a lot. You need to come up and see him. He's asking for you. You'll be alright; I'll stay by your side the whole time… alright?" Daphne soothed her friend, trying to encourage her to overcome her anxiety. "Come one! Take off your lab coat, put on your happy face and come talk to him."

"But, what if he starts being all romantic and mushy with me again? You know that I'm not the best expert when it comes to these things. If he starts to call me mushy names, I think I'll really faint… or better yet run." Velma insisted but she did come out from under the desk and begin to take off her lab coat.

"If he does, it means he still has feelings for you, but as I always say… you need to take one step at a time. First, let's just find out why he's here in Coolsville, then, we'll see what happens after that. But if he does try to make a move on you, the guys and I will give you hand, okay girlfriend?" She asked Velma.

"Okay, I guess so. Still, it's going to be awkward to see him after all this time." Velma said, as she straightened her orange sweater and her red mini skirt.

A little more secure, Velma tried to act normal, as she went upstairs and on into the living room, where you could already hear everyone laughing. When the girls arrived, the boys had already settled in. Shaggy and Scooby were eating the sandwiches they had been making, while Fred and Sebastian laughed about the faces Scooby was making while eating one of the sandwiches. The Great Dane could only smile, as he tried to slide an entire sandwich down his throat.

"So, you still have thoughts of becoming a hitman, or what? That was your dream, wasn't it?" Fred asked.

"Well, not anymore… but, over the years, I ended up collecting all kinds of weapons, from shotguns to grenades. I've got almost everything and I take them everywhere I go." Sebastian answered. "I'm not carrying any at the moment but they are locked up safely where I'm staying. If you're interested, I can show them to you later. It's quite the collection." He said proudly.

"Gotta be tough getting special permits for all those weapons." Shaggy said thoughtfully.

"Some… but it's a small price to pay, when you collect these things." Their friend said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The guys finally noticed the girls had arrived. Sebastian gave Velma an appraising look and smiled.

"Wow, Velma. You've gotten even prettier then the last time I remember you! And believe me, you were extremely pretty then too." He got up from his seat and gave her a kiss on the cheek, making Velma blush hotly.

No one noticed that Velma's knees were shaking almost like when Shaggy was encountering something that frightened him. She also had butterflies in her stomach. She swallowed hard and smiled at him then backed away to sit on the couch before she fell down.

She was able to push those disturbing feelings aside and focus on more important matters. The main one being, why their old friend was visiting them after so long.

"T-Thanks, Sebastian… you look great yourself, too." She managed to say.

Sebastian took a seat next to her, kissing her again on her cheek. Her face flamed even hotter.

"Hey, where's your brother?" Fred asked suddenly, taking the intense attention off Velma without realizing it.

"Oh, he's with me, but he's back at the hotel." Sebastian said, turning to look at Fred.

"You mean you two are staying in a hotel instead of going to your own house?" Daphne asked, in surprise.

"Well that has a lot to do with why my brother and I are here in the first place." Sebastian said, becoming more serious.

"As long as it doesn't have anything to do with anything scary, like ghosts and other stuff, that's okay, right Scooby?" Shaggy said.

"Right, Raggy!" Scooby-Doo answered fervently.

"Actually, it does have to do with a ghost and a mystery." Sebastian said plainly.

Shaggy and Scooby went white as chalk and fainted dead away, sliding off the couch to the floor.

"They still do that, huh? Even after all this time?" Sebastian said, shaking his head.

"Yep! I have a feeling it will always happen for as long as they live." Fred said in mild amusement as Velma knelt down on the floor and tapped the faces of her friends to wake them up.


	2. The Mystery at Milnor House

Chapter 2: The Mystery at Milnor House

Velma gave up trying to wake Shaggy and Scooby the old fashioned way. She dug out a Scooby Snack, a guaranteed way to rose the two. She waved the biscuit under their noses and both opened their eyes instantly.

"Works every time." Velma snorted in amusement, tossing them each a biscuit.

As the two cowards relaxed and ate their snack, Sebastian explained why he was there.

"So, you say there's a ghost at your house?" Fred asked.

"Not exactly… But, let me start at the beginning. You remember when we were still quite young, how my family moved to Boston, but kept our house here in case thing didn't work out there?" He asked them. He got various nods.

"Well, as you know, we never came back here but my parents decided to keep our old house, if me or my brother ever decided to come to live in Coolsville." Sebastian explained.

"So what's this got to do with the mystery you were talking about?" Fred interrupted.

"Hang on, Fred, I'm getting to it." Sebastian shushed him. "When my brother and I became adults, we decided to go on a tour of the world. We thought we might even catch sight of you guys since you're constantly on the road. Anyway, about a month ago, we were in Germany when we got an E-mail from our cousin, Mark. He told us strange things were going on where he lived."

"Gee, I didn't know you had a cousin." Daphne said.

"Most people do Daphne." He snorted. "Mark's a first cousin but we're not very close, because he lives with my uncle in an old mansion, in a town called Pinewood Hills. Anyway, he mentioned a ghost was haunting the place where he was living and other strange things were happening. Right away we gave him a call, telling him he was probably imagining things then we forgot about it."

"But he wasn't, was he?" Daphne asked, pretty certain of the answer.

"Unfortunately, not! Two weeks later, we receive another E-mail from him telling us his father, my uncle, had disappeared without a trace. Not only that, he seemed certain the ghost was responsible. That's about the time other creatures began appearing at night on the property. He sent us a photo as proof. It's one of the creatures and I was taken aback. You, aren't going to believe this but the creature is none other than one of the villains from your past! Here, I printed it and brought it with me…" Sebastian said, taking piece of paper from a pocket in his jacket and unfolding it. As soon as they saw the image, they were shocked.

"Zoinks!!! But that's the…" Shaggy exclaimed.

"The Rreeper!" Scooby finished his friend's sentence, jumping into Shaggy's arms, scared to death.

"You're right, Scooby, it really is the Creeper." Velma said grimly.

In the photo they could easily identify the Creeper, one of the most frightful monsters the gang had faced in their career as detectives.

"Are you sure this is real… that it wasn't done by Photoshop, perhaps?" Daphne asked, suspiciously.

"Positive. I was suspicious too, so I took it to a photo specialist and he verified the image is the real thing. That just creeped my brother and I out." Sebastian said, shivering. "Knowing it was one of the monsters you'd dealt with, we figured we would need your help catching that thing. So we caught the next flight to Coolsville and came straight here to ask for your help. So here I am. Can you help us?" He asked.

They all sighed and looked at each other. They had hoped for some time off but this was an old friend asking for help so…

"Yes, we'll help you!" Fred said for all of them.

"Jinkies! I can't believe Creeper is back!" Velma said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know and the worst of the bunch, too." Sebastian said solemnly.

"Do you have the first e-mail that your cousin sent you, before your uncle disappeared?" Fred asked, getting down to business. "It could give us a clue of what's really going on."

"Yes, I thought you might want it." Sebastian said, pleased that he had anticipated this. He pulled another sheet of folded paper from his coat and handed it over to Fred.

The gang gathered round Fred as he looked the message over. Shaggy and Scooby were shivering with fear from seeing the image of the Creeper. They were sure they weren't going to like the contents of the letter any better.

"Dear Sebastian and Zack,  
I know we haven't spoken in years, but I don't know who else to turn to about this. What I am about to tell you will sound like complete nonsense and perhaps you and your brother might even think I'm crazy, but I swear to you what I'm about to say is the truth.

I think the old mansion where my father and I now live is haunted… I know, it sounds crazy, but it's the truth. I keep hearing strange noises in the night and a couple of days ago, when I went for a walk at night, I thought I saw someone or something walking through the graveyard, heading toward the woods. I followed it, but I never found out who or what it really was. It just seemed to vanish into thin air before I could get close to it.

At first, I thought it had been my imagination, but a few days after that incident, I once again saw something, this time in the garden… and then, a ghost appeared in front of me, out of nowhere, saying that he was the spirit of the original owner of the mansion and if we didn't get out, he'd make sure everyone would pay the ultimate price. I don't know if I'm really losing my mind or what, but these things I keep seeing and hearing at night are real. My father does not listen to me and I fear something bad is going to happen. If you can, come visit me and maybe we can sort it out.

Best wishes,

Mark Milnor

"That's really some spooky stuff, Scoob." Shaggy commented to Scooby-Doo.

"Reah, spooky ruff!"

"At first I really thought it was just a prank, but after he wrote me telling me that my uncle had disappeared and that the ghost of the original owner of the mansion was responsible for and sent me that photo, I got worried." Sebastian said.

"But why would that ghost want your cousin and uncle out of the mansion?" Daphne asked, confused.

"Beats me, Daphne… Mark never told me and I don't even have a clue as to why he would want to do it." Sebastian sighed, frustrated.

"Maybe someone from our past is back to get revenge on us." Fred suggested. "Don't forget, we put a lot of them behind bars and they were obviously unhappy about that. Could be a case of revenge."

"Yeah, but, like, why would someone from our past decide to haunt Sebastian's cousin house to get to us?" Shaggy asked, frowning.

"For once, Shaggy's right. How could someone from our past know anything about Sebastian's family, and furthermore, why would he choose his cousin to attract us into a trap?" Daphne asked then qualified, "However, I wouldn't put that possibility aside, just yet."

"But, the last time we checked, all the monsters, or at least most of them, who we busted, were all guys in a costume, and those costumes are in the Coolsonian Criminology Institute." Fred objected.

"Maybe we should just check the Coolsonian. The building is undergoing renovation and that would have been the perfect time for someone to steal something when no one's looking. It happened when they were renovating the museum where the Mona Lisa is during the early 20th century." Velma said sagely. "Maybe someone did the same thing here, only stealing the Creeper's costume rather than a painting. Someone could be masquerading as the Creeper in his costume."

"You may be right Velma. Before we go, we need to pick up my brother. I know he'll be glad to see you all, along with a few other people." Sebastian said.

"Huh! A few other people? What do you mean by that, Sebastian?" Fred asked.

"You'll see when we get there." Sebastian said mysteriously.

"Fine, like whatever, let's get the Mystery Machine and be on our way." Shaggy said. "Do you want a lift, Sebastian?"

"You bet! I took the subway here. Thanks!" Sebastian said, smiling.

As they all headed to the garage, where the Mystery Machine was parked, all of them kept thinking about what Sebastian had told them. Also they wondered who these other people were he was talking about. Who could they be? And better yet, what would they have in common with the Milnor brothers and Mystery, Inc.?


	3. Reunion

Chapter 3: Reunion

Driving the Mystery Machine through the streets of Coolsville at this time of day, proved to be a real challenge, fortunately for the gang, Fred was an excellent driver. Driving the Mystery Machine in busy, noisy and complicated traffic was Fred's specialty.

"Geez, this traffic is a complete mess!" Daphne groaned in annoyance.

"It's even messier than my brother when he's eating spaghetti and lasagne at the same time, you know?" Sebastian chuckled.

"Like, your brother still has the same appetite he had the last time we saw you guys?" Shaggy asked, as he grabbed a pack of sweets and gave a few to Scooby, who swallowed them in one gulp.

"It's worse than before… I tell you, his stomach is always hungry. Not to mention, I think he's a living garbage disposal, always shoving food down his throat. I'm surprised with all the food he eats, he never gets fat, while I gain weight just by drinking water." Sebastian said in amused disgust. "Why do you think we go to those gastronomical conventions and the 'All You can Eat Buffets' there is, when we're on trips? Most of the time, we're going to some place just so he can try some new gastronomical specialty or to have dinner in a restaurant where the critics say the food is good."

"Well, Scooby and Shaggy are the same… but, since they always win the prizes, we end up gaining something from it as well." Fred said, goodnaturedly. "By the way, which hotel are you and your brother staying at?"

"At the Coolsville Ritz."

"The Coolsville Ritz!!! But that's the most expensive hotel in town! How can you afford to stay there? They charge about 2000 dollars per person, for each night." Daphne exclaimed in shock. "I mean, of all of us, only I have ever stayed there and that was when I was twelve, because my parents could afford it."

"Let's just say the people I'm with can afford to stay there." Sebastian said, a sly smirk on his face. The mystery of who these people were, was making the Scooby gang crazy.

Amidst all the chatter, Velma was conspicuously silent. She had been quiet ever since they'd left their headquarters. She didn't pay attention to the conversation at all, her mind was light-years away. She couldn't stop thinking about Sebastian, even though he was only a few centimetres from her.

"Hey, Velma! Sweetie-pie, what are you thinking?" The one she was fixated on, suddenly asked.

Velma jolted to awareness when Sebastian called her that sappy name. She blushed at being caught day dreaming. She really hated to be called cutesy names because they didn't feel personal to her. But despite that, her heart was going like a trip hammer from him just speaking to her. Seeing Velma tongue-tied and blushing, Daphne decided to intercede, just as she had promised Velma earlier.

"Okay, that's the second time you've mentioned these mystery people… can't you give us a clue who they are?" She wheedled, giving Velma a wink. Velma gave her a grateful look. .

"Uh...uh...Not this time… they would never forgive me if I revealed their identity. You'll just have to wait." Sebastian told her, still smirking.

Sighing in resignation, Daphne let it drop and watched the traffic. Soon Fred was able to exit from Main Street onto the quieter side street where they quickly came upon the Coolsville Ritz Hotel.

The building was a magnificently huge structure with fifty floors. It was one of the tallest and most imposing buildings in the whole city. Its illumination, which consisted of multiple spotlight projectors, revealed the building was a warm ginger colour. The beautiful garden, located right next to the entrance was a riot of flowers. There was a swimming pool in the shape of a dolphin, with the emblem of the hotel on the bottom. The entrance looked like it was taken from the pages of a fantasy book. The enormous fountain in the main hall was sprinkling rose-tinted water. The green marble sculptures of Apollo graced the entranceway, one on each side, making the place look even more spectacular.

As soon as the Mystery Machine pulled up to the entrance, a valet jumped forward to take the keys. Fred handed the keys over, the valet handed him a card to retrieve their vehicle later, and as they made to head for the doors, Sebastian tipped the valet ten dollars.

Entering through the doors the doorman held open for them, they walked across a grand lobby dripping with wealth toward the massive reception desk. The desk clerk gave them a smile.

"Yes, may I help you?"

"I would like the key to the Imperial Suite, please. It's registered under the name of Sebastian Milnor." Sebastian told the clerk. The man turned to check his computer first then nodded and retrieved a keycard.

"Welcome back sir, here's your keycard!" The man said politely handing it over.

Sebastian smiled in return and took the card then signalled the others to follow him to the bank of elevators. He blinked in surprise when he noted Shaggy and Scooby were not with his friends.

Sighing, Daphne said, "I can guess where they are. Where's the restaurant?"

Sebastian nodded and smirked as he turned away from the elevators and walked down a short hall from the lobby into an incredible restaurant. There the pair was looking at the menu, trying to figure out what to order. They walked up behind the two.

"Like, what do you think we should order, Scoob?" They heard Shaggy ask Scooby, as he gave the menu a quick scan. "It's all in French and the only thing I know in French is French Fries and that's not even on the menu."

"Reah…"Scooby sighed.

"Maybe we should, like, ask… Hey! What's the big idea, girls?!" Shaggy exclaimed unhappily as he and Scooby were grabbed by their collars.

"You guys should be ashamed of yourselves! When we have to solve a mystery, you chickens always try to get away, but when it's about eating, you're the first ones in line! And besides, we're not here to eat!" Velma scolded them as she and Daphne dragged them away.

"Ah come on, Velma, you know what we say… anytime you get a chance to eat is a good time because you never know when you'll get the chance again during a mystery… right Scooby-Doo?" Shaggy whined.

"Reah!" Scooby agreed, nodding his head rapidly

Daphne and Velma just shook their heads in disgust as they pulled the pair back to the elevator bank.

As soon as they were standing before a car, Sebastian pressed the button and they all climbed on. He hit the button for the top floor. The gang was still reeling from learning Sebastian was staying in the Imperial Suite.

When the elevator stopped they stepped off onto a small entryway and before them was huge white wooden door with Indian motifs carved on it. Sebastian walked to it and swiped his keycard in the discrete reader on the wall beside the door.

There was a soft click then Sebastian pushed the door open and they stepped into a small foyer. He led them through to a grand living room decorated with exotic furniture. The room was coloured in apple-red, orange and pale yellow, while the floor was covered in a beautifully patterned rug. Expensive paintings covered the walls and various statues and vases graced the room here and there. A huge wet bar was located in one corner; a dining table of oak was set near a bay of windows, surrounded by comfortable padded chairs. An arrangement of black roses were in a vase at the centre of the table. On the right side of the room a doorway led off to a hallway where the bedrooms were located. To the left side of the room and set before a huge wall screen TV was a half circle of comfortable couches and an elegant coffee table.

Resting indolently on one of the couches watching TV was Sebastian's brother, Zack.

"Hey, Zack! I brought a few guests I think you'll be happy to see!" Sebastian sang out.

Zack had a huge smile on his face as he got off the couch and greeted them. Unlike his brother, Zack hadn't changed much. His hair was still the same golden brown they remembered. He was wearing a violet shirt, a pair of black trousers and a pair of white sneakers. But his most distinctive feature was the fact that he was wearing a glove on his left hand, but he was not wearing one on his right hand.

"Hey guys! Long time no see!"

"Rack!" Scooby jumped at him, licking his face, giving the same greeting he had Sebastian.

"Hey, how you doing, Scooby, you old hound?!" Zack asked warmly as he petted the dog.

"Well you haven't change." Fred said coming up to them.

"Yeah, but back then I was a little bit taller than you, Fredster, and now, it's the opposite. You're the one who's a little bit taller than me." Zack said happily as he shook Fred's hand.

"True… but still, your style hasn't changed a bit."

"Thanks, Fred!" Zack grinned then turned to Shaggy. "Like, brother Shaggy! What have you been doing?"

"Like, brother Zack, being chased by ghosts and monsters, solving mysteries, participating in every kind of contests and hanging around with my best buddy, Scooby-Doo, among other things" Shaggy answered. "Like, what about you?"

"Same thing, except for the part of solving mysteries and being chased by monsters and ghouls, of course." Zack said, snorting in amusement. "Still, I bet I can eat more pizzas than you, in ten minutes!"

"You really want to try it?" Shaggy challenged him excitedly.

"You betcha!" Zack dared him.

"Those two are already on cloud nine… talking about food and those two will have a conversation theme for a whole week." Velma commented.

"Yeah and we won't be seeing them for a while either." Daphne snorted then turned to Sebastian. "So, can you tell us now, who these mysterious people are that is paying for all this?"

"Oh course, Daphne." Sebastian assured her. "Hey Zack, where are they?" He asked his brother.

"They're on the roof patio, practicing." Zack responded.

"Thanks. Come on, everyone! Follow me and see who came along with us to Coolsville."

Sebastian led the way across the room to the hallway. The first door they came to turned out to be an elevator. He pressed a button and the doors opened. They entered and Zack pressed the up button. The ascension only took a few seconds then the doors zipped opened and a familiar song reached their ears.

It brought back old memories of an unusual adventure they'd had, one they would never forget. Stepping out of the elevator they saw before them a beautiful roof garden with comfortable chairs and sitting in the chairs were the mystery people.

Singing and playing the guitar, the piano and the drums, were three girls... Thorn, Dusk and Luna, well known as the Hex Girls, old friends of Scooby and the gang. They were all wearing their usual gothic dresses, which made Fred and the others think they were really giving a concert, on top of the Coolsville Ritz.

As the music went on, a mystical aura was created and grew stronger. The Hex Girls created this aura to open portals into another dimension where music ruled. The three girls were so focused on what they were doing, they didn't take note they had visitors. No one said a thing as the three sang. Finally, the song ended and the aura faded. They were startled by the clapping of hands.

Thorn and the others turned around and saw Scooby and the gang, along with Zack and Sebastian applauding their performance.

"Bravo!" Fred exclaimed.

"Like, encore!" Shaggy cheered.

"You girls really know how to rock!" Daphne said, smiling.

"Hey, guys!" Thorn exclaimed, as she put her guitar down and went to greet Scooby and the others.

"I thought you guys would never arrive" Dusk said, as she hugged Velma.

"Don't tell us that Sebastian got himself lost and you guys had to go look for him?" Luna asked them, as she blew a kiss to Scooby, who in return tried to catch it, but ended up knocking Zack down. Seeing that, the others laughed.

"Now, I know why you were lodged here, Sebastian. It's Thorn and the girls who are paying for everything." Daphne said.

"Actually, it's the discography company who's paying for our stay here." Luna said, while giving a hug to Shaggy.

"But, there's still one thing that I don't understand… How do you guys, know Thorn, Luna and Dusk?" Fred asked Sebastian and Zack, curiously.

"Well, that's actually quite simple." Zack began. "But, why don't we go back inside, and we'll tell you everything?"

Following Zack's suggestion, they all went back inside, where he and his brother, with a little help from the Hex Girls, started to explain.

It happened while they were in Germany. Sebastian and Zack were leaving and were at the Frankfurt airport getting ready to check in at the counter when Zack accidentally bumped into Dusk and knocked her over.

Sebastian came to her side to help her back on her feet. Luna spotted Zack's tickets that had fallen to the floor and picked up. She noticed the destination was the same as theirs. As apologizes were given and they all got in line, they just naturally fell into conversation. By the time they boarded the plane, they were jabbering a mile a second and enjoying each other's company.

During the conversations, the Hex girls related the problem they'd had in their hometown of Oakhaven. They told the guys about working with the Scooby Gang in helping them solve their problem with a real witch. They also told them of the time they were kidnapped in Australia by a ghostly trio of musicians as well as the time a pair of twins tried to pose themselves as vampires to scare them away from a castle where they had been shooting a video. Those and many other stories, they related as their plane flew over the Atlantic.

Sebastian and Zack related their own experiences with the Scooby Gang and how they had been a part of the group in their early years and that they hadn't seen their old friends in many years.

Needless to say, they were pleased to discover they both knew the Mystery, Inc. crew. This was when the two brothers related their own mystery and that they were going back to Coolsville to ask their old friends for help. Of course, Sebastian and Zack were shocked to learn the Hex Girls were on their way to see the gang as well. It was then they all decided to travel and stay together.

"Talk about coincidences… what are the chances of something like that happen?" Fred asked rhetorically.

"Almost none… but, hey, I bet you weren't expecting us to be here?" Thorn laughed.

"You bet we weren't… last time we heard from you, you guys were on tour in Europe." Daphne said.

"Yeah we were, but our tour ended a couple of days ago and we decided we needed a little rest." Dusk said. "We intend to go to Oakhaven for a couple of weeks, but first we decided that we had to make a little stop here in Coolsville and see how you were doing."

"And besides, we're trying to find some inspiration to write new songs for our new album." Luna added. "It doesn't have a name yet, but we're very confident that in a matter of weeks we will have found what we need to start working on it."

"Well, maybe we can help. You know that with us, things never stay still for too long." Daphne declared.

"Yeah… like, we're always bumping into ghouls, ghosts, spectres and other spooky stuff, all the time that we sometimes don't even have time to breathe." Shaggy said, while Scooby pretended to be a huge scary monster, making the others laugh.

"I hate to interrupt, guys, but we have a mystery on our hands." Velma said.

"She's right, we still have to get to the Coolsonian and find out if there's something there that will help us solve this mystery." Fred said.

"Yeah, we just came here to get Zack… of course, we weren't expecting to finding you here, girls." Daphne said. "Do you want to come with us, too?"

"Are you kidding, Daphne? Of course, we want to." Thorn spoke for the three of them. "Come on girls."

"Like, do we really have to?" Shaggy whined.

"Reah? Do we really have go?" Scooby pleaded, while making a sad puppy-eyed face.

"Why can't we just stay here and talk?" Zack chimed in; his brother gave him an angry look.

"You're coming whether you like it or not, you chickens!" Sebastian said, grabbing Zack by the arm. "I'll just go get one of my pistols I have in my suitcase and we can go."

"We won't even have to take the Mystery Machine to get there." Velma declared. "The Coolsonian it's only a few blocks away from the hotel. We'll get there in a matter of minutes."

"But, how are we going to get out of the hotel, without being seen? In case you don't remember, we're one of the most famous girl-bands in this country, not to mention in the world." Luna warned.

"Yeah, we're bound to run into someone who'll recognize us and the last thing we want now is the media to know we're here." Dusk finished.

"That won't happen, because I've got a plan!" Fred said with a gleam in his eyes. The others eyed him worriedly. Fred's plans tended to backfire spectacularly.


	4. The Coolsonian at Night

Chapter 4: The Coolsonian at Night

To their surprise, a 'Fred Plan' actually worked. First they took the elevator, to do this, Shaggy and Scooby went to call it up and waited until it was an empty car, then they loaded aboard and began their descent. The Scooby Gang stood in front and hid Thorn and her group from view whenever the doors opened.

When hotel residents noted the full elevator they let the doors closed without getting on. When they finally reached the next to the bottom floor, Scooby was let out first to check things out, when he found it clear to the stairs, he came back to the stopped elevator and gave them the all clear. Everyone, except Shaggy and Scooby, scurried to the exit stairs quickly and hurried down them to the exit door. The two on the elevator took it the rest of the way down.

The group on the stairs had to halt because of the fire alert exit door. The bar would alert the security if it was opened for any reason except for a fire. Daphne used an old trick and put a hairpin in the mechanism which made it think it was still closed then cracked the door open to watch for Scooby and Shaggy before stepping outside.

Shaggy and Scooby had gone out the front doors normally so that the hotel staff knew they had left and not be concerned. Shaggy sent Scooby to do a quick recon to check if anyone was following them.

Some ten minutes later, the dog was back and told him it was safe. Still on the alert, they went around to the door where the others were waiting for the all clear.

"Everything's cool!" Shaggy said softly at the barely cracked door.

Daphne sighed then opened the door the rest of the way. Everyone quickly filed past her then she carefully eased the door closed very slowly until it the lock slicked in place. No alarm went off.

The plan had worked flawlessly and no one ever learned that Thorn and the others were even in the hotel. They would do the same trick on the return trip.

Staying on the alert, the group took side roads to the museum to keep out of sight of anyone looking for them. A group there size would certainly have garnered unwanted attention. It was a nice, cool night and they strolled briskly to their destination talking in soft voices.

"I gotta admit, Fred, old buddy. Your plan worked without a hitch!" Shaggy said in admiration.

"I thought all my plans usually worked?" Fred said more than a little affronted.

"Uhuh… not all, Freddy… but, this one worked like a charm." Daphne told him.

"How long will it take us to get to the Coolsonian?" Sebastian asked, as he loaded his pistol. A customized "Desert Eagle", one of his favourites.

"No time at all! It's just around that corner." Velma answered.

"I still can't figure out how you managed to have permits and a license to carry one of those things." Luna said, frowning as she watched Sebastian putting the safety lock on then putting in a hidden holster under his jacket. He just shrugged rather than answer.

Before she could possibly press the issue, they walked past some store fronts then turned the corner which brought them to the front of the Coolsonian. The museum occupied a full city block. The main building was old but one could see all new construction on either side of the main entrance. One section of it still had canvas over it to keep curious eyes out.

"Wow! What are they doing? It's sure changed from when we were last here. It's beginning to look a lot like the British Museum." Zack said in amazement.

"The board of directors decided to expand the original building and to do that they bought the entire block, demolishing all the other buildings. Most of the remodelling and new construction is completed; just some interior work needs to be done before its grand reopening in a month or two." Velma explained.

"It sure looks impressive." Sebastian said. "So, how are we supposed to get in?"

"Good question… how do you intend for us to get into a museum that's closed?" Luna asked.

"With this!" Daphne said, smiling, showing them a key card she'd taken from her handbag. "After defeating the Evil Masked Figure who brought some of the costumes from our enemies to life and having them terrorize Coolsville for almost a week, the curator of the museum and the board staff decided we should have full access to the museum at any time, just in case something like that, happened again." She explained.

Suitably impressed, their guests followed the gang up the marble stairs to the entrance door. Daphne passed the key card through a discreet reader located under a lion's head. The door softly clicked and they quickly pushed their way in, the door silently closing behind them.

The atmosphere inside was a bit creepy. Shaggy, Scooby and Zack began to shiver as they looked around. Shadows created by objects covered with canvas, construction scaffolds and other things, created a very creepy and menacing environment. But, as soon as Velma found the main switchboard and flicked the lights on, the feeling disappeared.

"Okay, like, where are the villains costumes kept?" Zack asked.

"They're stored in the main vault… Come on, this way!" Daphne said.

"Maybe, Scoob and I should stay here, you know? Just in case someone appears…" Shaggy said nervously, knowing he would be forced to look at those creepy costumes again.

"Reah! Someone…" Scooby agreed.

"Stop being a couple of chickens and come on, guys! We've got a mystery to solve." Daphne chided them.

Persuaded by the others, Shaggy and Scooby decided to go with the rest of the group. Led by Fred, they went to an elevator located near the museum offices. They all loaded aboard and took the short one floor trip.

The doors opened to a huge underground area with cement walls. In one area there were piles and piles of cardboard boxes and broken parts. Another area had old furniture stored on top of each other. Still another section had left over construction supplies and debris. Everywhere was layers of dust and cobwebs. Thorn sneezed repeatedly for a moment, dragging out a handkerchief from her pocket and blowing loudly.

"Gesundheit!" Dusk said in sympathy.

"Thanks, Dusk." Thorn said, her voice stuffy sounding. "My allergies make me crazy."

"What a mess! This place really needs a good cleaning." Daphne said in disgust.

"Where's the main vault?" Sebastian asked, looking around.

"It's just around that corner, on your left." Fred answered.

"Maybe we should have asked for a Scooby Snack before coming with them, Scooby." Shaggy muttered unhappily, as he and Scooby-Doo slowly walked through the dark and spooky basement.

"Reah... Rooby Snack." The dog smacked his lips.

"Hey, guys. I got a box of Scooby Snacks with me. You want one?" Zack surprised them, waving a box he taken out of his backpack. "These have chocolate chips in them."

"Do we? Me and Scooby live for these little things." Shaggy said in delight as he took one of the cookies from the box.

"Reah, Rooby Snacks!" Scooby exclaimed as he ate a few.

They continued to walk through the dusty basement then turned the indicated corner and came face to face with a huge metal door with a seven digit-code security keypad. There was a card reader on this as well and Daphne ran her card through it.

Very slowly and ponderously, the heavy door pulled open making a soft humming noise as it did so. Sebastian stepped in front of the now open vault and took out his pistol.

Turning to the others behind him, he said, "Allow me! I've always wanted to do this!" Then he stepped into the vault, held his gun up with two hands and yelled, "Freeze!"

"What was that for?" Fred frowned in confusion.

"Well, I've always wanted to say that as I walked into a secured area and never got the chance to do it." Sebastian said innocently as he lowered his pistol then put it away.

"But, you knew there was no one inside, except those freaky looking costumes." Shagging objected.

"Yeah, I know but it was fun, anyway!" Sebastian smiling cheekily. Everyone looked at him then each other then burst out laughing.

The laughter had broken the sombre mood and after they'd calmed down, they refocused their attention on the reason for being here. Daphne activated the lights inside the vault.

The vault was bigger than anyone could ever have imagined, for it was as big as a shopping mall's parking lot. The walls and the ceiling were steel while the floor was concrete. As they entered, the first thing they saw were hundreds of huge objects covered with white sheets. By the size of the objects, all of them guessed those were the suits of the gang's villains. This proved to be correct, when Scooby lifted one of the sheets and became frightened with what he saw under it, making him jump into Shaggy's arms.

"Ronster! Ronster!"

"That's no monster, Scooby." Velma said, shaking her head as she got closer to the suit in display. "That's just the suit of the Evil Masked Figure."

The suit, just like all the others, was draped on a mannequin for ease of storage and display. Next to the costumes were small plaques that gave the description of the outfit, the villain's name, the date and place it had been caught, and the real identity of the one who wore the costume. Just under the plaque was a button that played the recording of the sound the villain made when he or she was wearing it.

Velma pressed the button to demonstrate and the life like sound came out scaring Scooby, Shaggy, and Zach and sending them in each others arms, shivering with fright.

"Come on, guys… It's just a dummy wearing the outfit; it's not the real one." Velma said in disgust.

"Yeah… But it still creeps me out!" Shaggy exclaimed, still shivering.

"Reah, reepy!" Scooby agreed, while shaking his head.

"He sure was creepy… Definitely, it was one of your scarier villains ever." Zack said, as he calmed himself down.

"I never fully understood why the girl who was wearing this costume, tried to kill you." Dusk mused, puzzled.

"Well, it was mainly revenge… Jasper Howell tried to kill us, because we were the ones who stopped her father's massive scheme for counterfeiting CD's and DVD's." Fred explained. "His plan was quite brilliant, actually. He put a recording studio up in a mountain cave where they did the recordings and then used a very clever scheme to get them to a truck that would be waiting for them… they used a hang-glider. But when people became suspicious, he created the legend of the Pterodactyl's Ghost, who supposedly lived up in the caves, to scare people away."

"Needless to say, you guys stopped him and his scheme." Luna stated positively.

"Yes, but that's just half the story… You see, Jasper wanted revenge for her father, who ended up in jail. She changed her name, got work as a reporter right here in Coolsville and waited for the perfect opportunity to get revenge on us." Daphne said.

"Which happened when the Coolsonian first opened. She took the Pterodactyl's Ghost costume and using a substance called randamonium, and a special machine, was able to bring it to life. Later she also did the same thing with a few other costumes, which were all recovered." Velma finished.

"It must have been really tough fighting real monsters." Zack said.

"It really was, but we did manage to stop them." Fred said. "If it weren't for Scooby and Shaggy there, we would probably have never solved that mystery or any other mysteries. A big part of our success comes from the fact that they are always goofing around and in the end, they manage to capture the bad guys, without even wanting to."

Shaggy, who heard that, just said, "It's not like we had any other option… I mean, we're always the live bait, right Scoob?"

"Reah, right!" Scooby exclaimed.

"Well, anyway, let's get to work. We've got a costume to find." Daphne told them.

"Okay, let's split up and search for it! The first ones to find the Creeper's costume, warn the others, got it?" Sebastian said, preparing to take off.

"Hey, you stole my line, dude!" Fred said in amusement.

"I didn't know you had copyrights on it, Fredster." Sebastian said with his hands on his hips, laughing. "But seriously, are we going to just stand here, pointing out who's saying what, or are we going to solve this mystery?"

"You're right! Let's beat feet, guys." Fred conceded and took a direction.

The rest shrugged and split up to begin their search. The costumes filled the vault in neat rows, so it would take them a while to search them all. Fred, Daphne and Velma went one direction, Scooby, Shaggy and Dusk went together, Luna and Zack stayed together and paralleled Fred and the girls while Sebastian and Thorn decided to parallel Scooby's group.

Daphne lifted her first sheet of the search and came face to face with a familiar face. "Well, would you look at this... I found the Ghost Clown." She shouted.

"Here's a weirdy… a seven-foot tall humanoid mantis!" Thorn called out.

"That would be the Mantis Creature from Vulture's Claw." Velma shouted to her.

"I remember that one… A creepy monster, who supposedly used to be a human and was after fresh victims." Shaggy's voice was heard to say.

"But in the end it was just Professor Greer, who was trying to extract oil from the property he planned to buy and use it to rebuild the Botanical Gardens of Vulture's Claw." Daphne's voice added. "It was one of the few cases we solved where the police didn't need to intervene because the professor and the real-estate agent came up with an agreement, which benefited both parties. As for us, we solved the mystery and brought the monster costume with us."

"A great adventure indeed… but I bet this guy was an even bigger challenge than the Mantis Creature, folks." Sebastian said, as he viewed the costume under the sheet he'd lifted. "The famous Gator Ghoul! In my opinion it was one of your more fantastic cases ever."

"Yeah, well… the only part that was fantastic about it, was the fact that we got to see Scooby's cousin, Scooby-Dum again, and of course, those jumbo sized shrimp-puffs we made, using old Ma Finnokey's recipe." Shaggy said, as he started to drool, just from remembering that delicacy.

"Reah, relicious!"

"Not to mention, the fact that Scooby ate one of Shaggy's sneakers that night" Velma laughed.

"Well, what about these two?" Fred's voice called out. "The Titanic Twist and the Notre-Dame's Gargoyle!"

"We read about those two in the papers while we were on tour in Brazil" Luna said. "The Titanic Twist was supposed to be a disfigured wrestler who was seeking revenge and the Gargoyle was the one who kidnapped Daphne's cousin, the French model, right?"

"Correct, but in the end, we found out that none of them were real." Daphne said.

They kept looking around, lifting sheets, trying to find the Creeper's costume. Finally, when they were about to give up, Zack yelled, "Guys! I found him!"

In a matter of seconds, all of them made their way to Zack's location and started examining his find. Velma told them it was really the Creeper's outfit and not some cheesy copy, made by someone else.

"It's the real one alright." She said. "The costume wasn't even touched. The security tags installed on all the costumes is still attached. Nor does it look like anyone has touched the costume itself."

"So, we're back to square one, right?" Thorn asked.

"Not exactly, Thorn. For you see, we know that no one robbed the costume, thus, we can assume the Creeper we see in the photo that Sebastian and Zack's cousin sent them, is probably someone wearing an exact duplicate of the original costume." Velma said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but, what if the Creeper from the photo is really real?" Shaggy asked, fearfully.

"Shaggy, you know very well that there's no such thing as…" Fred began to say.

"Don't say it, Fred! I know most of the monsters we've faced over the years were just guys in a costume, but you know we've faced real monsters before…" Shaggy interrupted him.

"Reah, real ronsters!" Scooby echoed.

"Okay, but the chances of that Creeper being real, are very low, guys." Fred conceded.

Walking past them all, Velma walked out of the vault, a thoughtful look on her face that usually meant she was working on some angle. The rest followed her to see what she was up to.

Velma kept walking until she came to a door marked, 'Keep Out! Authorized Personnel Only!" She ignored the sign and opened the door to reveal the room beyond was the security room for the museum. A bank of monitors kept watch over all the sections of the museum. Velma went to them looking for something..

"What are you looking for, Velma?" Daphne asked, no clear on what Velma expected to find.

"Well, I have a suspicion the Creeper's costume might have been used after all and returned. If it has, then the security tapes should have recorded someone entering and leaving. All we have to do is go back to a time before the incident when the costume was seen outside the museum." She explained, distractedly as her fingers flew over the keyboard.

After ten minutes of searching, Velma discovered the last time the basement vault had been accessed was over two months ago. The record showed it had been Patrick, the museum's curator. The cameras plainly showed him entering and exiting empty handed. No one had been in this area until they entered tonight.

"So do you suspect him?" Sebastian asked, eyeing the magnified image of the curator's face on the screen.

"Uhuh… no way… not Patrick, dude! Like he's the one who helped us when the Evil Masked Figure robbed the Coolsonian and he saved Velma from getting caught by the Pterodactyl's Ghost when that freaky bird came to life." Shaggy said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, Patrick's an okay guy. There's no way he would have done something like this." Fred seriously.

"Maybe we should really consider the monster in the photo is real. After all, everything seems to be pointing toward that!" Luna said reasonably.

"You're may be right, sister. Everything else has been eliminated." Dusk had to agree.

"So, what now?" Thorn asked.

"When things like this happen, it's time for plan B." Fred said, making Shaggy, Scooby and Zack gulp with fear.

"You don't mean…" Zack asked hesitantly, unable to finish his sentence.

"Yep, Zack… We're going on a monster hunting!" Fred proclaimed.

"Alright! Next stop, Pinewood Hills!" Sebastian crowed excitedly. "I think it's time for you to pack your luggage everyone because a long trip awaits us."

"Maybe we should, like, think this over and…" Shaggy began to object nervously.

"Knock it off, Shaggy! We said we would help Sebastian and Zack's cousin and that's exactly what we're going to do." Daphne said firmly.

"But maybe, me, Shaggy and Scooby could stay here in Coolsville, just in case something happens and that way we could help out." Zack suggested, before he was interrupted by Sebastian who grabbed him by the collar.

"You're coming with us and that's final! This is a family matter and you're not shirking your duty." He said firmly then released his brother's collar.

"Okay, okay, alright… You don't have to be so pushy about it, man! I really hate it when you get like that." Zack grumbled.

"And the same thing applies to you two, Shaggy and Scooby. You're coming, and that's final." Velma ordered.

"Well, Scoob, old friend, old buddy, old pal, looks like we're going once again into the lion's den, and there's nothing we can do about it!" Shaggy said in sad resignation.

"Reah, Rion's ren!" The Great Dane agreed miserably.

They walked back out of the security room and as they went past the vault, Velma paused to close it. If she had stopped to glance inside once more she might have seen the eyes of one of the costumes glowing red for just a second. But she hadn't and the door closed once more.

The Scooby Gang walked the group back to hotel and insured Thorn and the girls were slipped back in their room without being seen, and then, decided where they would meet, after they'd packed. Zack and Sebastian told them that they would be there along with the girls, and for them not worry about it.


	5. The Lonely Road Ahead

Chapter 5: The Lonely Road Ahead

It did not take long for the Mystery Inc. to pack everything they needed for their journey. While the others were busy, Shaggy and Scooby took the opportunity to clean out the fridge, eating everything they saw. Shaggy used his crazy cooking skills to come up with a way to eat everything and, of course, they made sure to lay in a big supply of Scooby Snacks to take along.

Velma was standing in the middle of her room trying to think which orange sweater should take with her. The 'brain' of Mystery Inc. was excited about having a new mystery to solve, but she was also a little nervous and Sebastian was the cause. The butterflies in her stomach when she was around him, deserted while they were at the Coolsonian but had returned with a vengeance.  
She was used to analyzing every move she made but when it came to the subject of Sebastian, her mind went on strike. Anything concerning him was now being done purely on instinct and that made her even more nervous.

Returning her attention to her packing, she grabbed a framed photo that she had in her bedside table. It was a photo of the gang when they were in middle school, all of them were smiling at the camera. Scooby was standing on his back feet, licking Shaggy's face, while Daphne was smiling, showing her white-pearly teeth, Freddy was kneeling on the ground, while making funny faces, and Velma was standing up, also smiling, holding a book in her hands.

One could clearly see the title of the book…'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carol, one of Velma's favorite books, because it combined fantasy with science and mystery. She still had that copy of the book on one of her bookshelves.

Two additional figures were in that photo. Zack was eating a baloney and cheese sandwich, while Sebastian had his right arm around Velma's shoulders, and on his left hand, he was holding a slingshot, the same one he used to shoot rocks, acorns and marbles at every bad guy the gang caught during their first years as junior detectives.

Velma sighed, as her finger caressed the photo.

'Things were so different back then…' She thought distractedly. A knock on her door startled her our of her reverie. It was Fred.

"Hey, Velmster! Are you packed and ready to go yet?" He asked through the door.

"Oh, yeah Freddie! Just a few last minute things. Just give me a minute to grab my suitcase and my laptop." She called out, hurriedly placing the picture into her suitcase and closing it.

"Sure! See you in a few." Freddie said and walked off.

She looked around her room a moment, then grabbed her laptop case and suitcase and headed out the door.

When she got out to their van, Shaggy and Scooby were still absent. She chucked her stuff in the back and watched Fred do final checkups on the van's innards to insure the Mystery Machine was at 100% for the trip.

Daphne was using her pocket mirror as she applied still more makeup to her face. Huffing his way from the house was Shaggy, laden down with multiple suitcases. Behind him, Scooby was carrying a bulging suitcase, the handle in his mouth.

The Great Dane's huge feet tripped on the steps forcing his mouth open which sent the suitcase flying. It hit the sidewalk and sprang open revealing its contents. Sprawled on his chest, Scooby looked up sheepishly at the gang staring down at him. The ground was covered with Scooby Snack boxes and multiple bags of other snacks.

"Do you really need to take all those snacks with you, Scooby?" Daphne asked in annoyance while she snatched a bag of jelly beans.

"We've got to be prepared for any kind of emergency, Daphne." Shaggy said, very seriously. "Like....you never know when one of us has a snack attack or we miss a meal. Can't have empty stomach's you know. The growling would give our position away to the bad guys. Besides its not that much, just some important sugar stuff and salty appetizers."

"Reah, ralty rappetizers!" Scooby agreed, heartily as he got back up on his four feet and quickly helped Shaggy repack the suitcase.

The others just sighed and said no more about it. Scooby carried the suitcase to the car while Shaggy loaded the other suitcases in the rear and shut the door.

While Shaggy was busy, Fred gave their home another quick security check then set their alarm system before locking the door to their headquarter's door.

Everyone was now loaded when Fred joined them and climbed into the driver's seat. He started the engine and pulled out into the street. In minutes they were heading for the meeting point which was the parking lot of the abandoned "Domino's Malt Shop", near the city limits.

The malt shop had been known for years as having the best and coolest malts in Coolsville, until the owner died and the establishment closed. Now, the only thing that was left of the old place was the marine-blue building with it's old broken neon sign and walls covered with numerous concert and movie posters of past eras.

When the gang arrived, the parking lot was empty. They would have to wait for the others to appear. Time passed and worry set in. Fred had climbed out and was pacing back and forth, watching the direction the others would be coming from. The others listened to music while they waited.

"Wonder what's taking them so long?" Daphne said aloud, a tinge of concern in her voice.

"Raybe they got rost." Scooby suggested.

"Like, no way, Scoob… Zack and Sebastian are from here remember? They know this place like the back of their hand." Shaggy said, shaking his head. "They're probably being held up by Thorn and the others. They are a bit slow at packing."

"Hey, here they come!" Fred shouted suddenly.

Everyone peered out a window and watched as a van similar to the Mystery Machine, but with different colors, came roaring up to them. When it pulled up beside them they could see it was an exact model of their van except for the colors being purple and black with a different logo on it. The side said, 'The Riddle Rider,' written in stylized letters. The art work on the sides of the van were a spooky black and silver ghoul which was very lifelike.

Fred frowned a little. He always felt the Mystery Machine was unique but now it seemed they had a rival. He could see Zack was the one driving. The Hex Girls waved from their windows at them.

"Hey guys, we're here!" Zack exclaimed as he opened his car door.

"Sorry we took so long but it was not exactly easy to repeat the same scheme we used to get out of the hotel, so we could go to the Coolsonian without being spotted." Luna apologized.

"So what do you think about my ride?" Zack asked.

"It's a sweet ride, yes, indeed… I like the color schematics you used." Fred said admiringly.

"Thanks… I hope you don't mind, but I told the guy who painted it to use the same drawing patterns of the Mean Machine's, because I was never good at coming up with ideas for styling cars." Zack said with a shrug, noting the similarities between the two vehicles.

"Still, the ghoul looks awesome… I wish Freddie would give the Mystery Machine a similar paint job instead of just tuning up the engine." Daphne commented.

Velma had already noted that Sebastian wasn't with the group. Her guys were so amazed with the Riddle Rider they hadn't yet noticed his absence.

"Hey, where's Sebastian?" She called out, interrupting them.

"Oh, he's stopped to pick up 'his baby,' as he likes to call it." Dusk answered.

"What do you mean by, 'his baby'?" Daphne asked.

"You'll see what we're talking about… annnd it looks like you won't have to wait long to see it cause here he comes!" Zack announced as the roar of a powerful engine was heard.

Coming up the road was a motorcycle. They could hear loud music as it got closer and they saw it was an amazing Custom Cruiser, a classic, done in red and black with orange flames and a grinder that looked like it had come from a horror movie, because it looked like the arms of a skeleton, while the front wheel looked like a spider web.

Mounted on it was Sebastian wearing a racers helmet. The others climbed out of the vans to watch him approach. As he got closer, they noticed something was written on the fuel tank, in the same stylized letters used on the Mystery Machine and the Riddle Rider.

Music blasted them as Sebastian pulled up, parked and cut the engine. He smirked and blew Velma a kiss, making her blush.

"Missed me?" Sebastian asked them as he took off the helmet.

"Not really." Velma muttered more to herself than anyone else. She didn't want him to know her true feelings that would be too embarrassing.

"Wow! What an awesome bike!" Fred exclaimed, a little envious. "You and your brother really have great taste when it comes to choosing vehicles."

"Thanks for the compliment, Fredster… I'm glad you like my Creepy Crawler." Sebastian said, grinning.

"C-Creepy C-Crawler?" Shaggy stuttered.

"Yeah, that's the name I baptized her… the Creepy Crawler." Sebastian said, pointing to the stylized name on the fuel tank. "Suits her don't ya think?" He asked proudly.

Luna giggled and said, "When he showed up on this thing, we were blown away by it. It's an amazing looking machine alright."

"It's not just a bike; it's a work of art." Sebastian added, caressing it possessively.

"Yeah, but like, where did you get a motorcycle like that in the first place, dude?" Shaggy asked.

"Reah, where?!" Scooby exclaimed.

"Where else? Orange County Choppers, of course… Who better to make this beautiful 2-wheeled machine than the Teutel family?" Sebastian cooed. "It took me almost every cent I had back then to pay for it. Those guys did a terrific job of building this based on my own design idea. It's even more beautiful than I'd dreamed it would be, plus it has a few extra gadgets that aren't normally found on a bike."

"I'm assuming the radio is something more than the ordinary?" Daphne asked, as she admired the exhaust pipes, which were carved with ghostly pictures. "It certainly was pretty loud to be heard over the sound of the bike's engines."

"You're right, that's just one of the specialty items… and yes, I like to hear my music when I'm riding so loud it has to be." He smirked with a shrug.

For the next few minutes, Sebastian regaled them with the uniqueness of his ride before Fred finally broke up the gabfest.

"Hey guys, think its time to hit the road, don't you?"

"Oh, you're right there, Fred. It's a couple of hours to Pinewood Hills so yeah, we'd better be going." Daphne agreed.

"Ahhh...it's only 400 miles.....we'll should get there before sunset. We sent a message to Mark, telling him we were on our way. He'll be waiting for us in front of city hall." Zach said easily.

"Sounds good, Zack." Fred said then turned to his own group. "Get in guys, it's time for us to heat up the engine and skedaddle."

"He still talks like that?" Thorn whispered to Velma.

"Well, its Freddy we're talking about. I think it's something that will never change in him." Velma said, shrugging.

They were heading for their vehicles when Sebastian called out, "Hey! I'll lead the way. Does anyone want to ride with me?"

The Hex Girls looked at each other then back at him.

"Thanks for the offer, Sebastian, but these dresses are suitable for mounting a motorcycle." Thorn said, shaking her head.

"Okay, I understand. Hey, how about you Velma?" Sebastian asked coaxingly.

Velma froze and began to stutter a refusal, "Uh, no I can't either. I'm wearing a mini skirt and…" She was horrified that her brain suddenly behaved as if it had blown a fuse and was only working at fifty percent power.

Seeing her stumble in embarrassed fright and shyness, Daphne stepped in. "Don't worry, Velma… I can fix that. Come with me." She grabbed Velma's arm and pulled her toward the van.

"D-Daphne, what're you doing?" Velma protested in a whisper.

They climbed into the Mystery Machine and locked the back doors. Everyone looked puzzled but were wise enough to know not to go near the van even though they had no idea what Daphne was up to.

"Uh, I don't think Velma's going to like whatever Daphne's got in mind, Scoob." Shaggy muttered.

"Raths for sure!" Scooby agreed.

It took them over ten minutes before the back door opened and Daphne stepped out. She had a smile of satisfaction on her face.

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I present to you, the new and improved Velma Dinkley!" She said in triumph, her arms extended toward the van. Minutes passed, her arms still extended, Daphne turned her head back to the van and frowned. Velma wasn't coming out.

Sighing in frustration, the redhead went back to the door and peered in. Velma sat huddled out of view.

"Velma, for goodness sake, everyone is waiting for you." She hissed softly.

"No! I'm not coming out dressed like this!" Velma said vehemently. "I still don't know how you managed to convince me to dress in this suit again. I'm also wondering how you knew to bring it?" She asked suspiciously.

"You forget! I always come prepared for this anything, remember? There's something for every member of the gang, no matter what the emergency. Besides you look really pretty in it." Daphne answered plainly. "Now, come out of there. Where's the fearless Velma I know, who's always ready to solve a mystery?!" She cajoled her shy friend.

"Hidden in a van, dressed up like a clown…" Velma said caustically.

"Oh, come on, you're absolutely gorgeous and I'm sure everyone will love your new temporary look. You do want to ride on that totally cool motorcycle, don't you?" Daphne wheedled.

"Hmm… I hate it when you're right." Velma sighed, capitulating. "Okay, I'm coming out, but if anyone laughs, I swear I'll take my rage out your wardrobe when we get back, Daphne."

"So noted." Daphne said, hiding a smile.

Daphne stepped back out of the van again and this time, Velma followed her. Everyone gaped at her in stunned amazement.

Velma was dressed in an orange leather bodysuit with high heel boots. It was the same bodysuit she'd worn to seduce Patrick, when the Evil Masked Figure attacked Coolsville. Scooby gave a wolf howl of appreciation making her blush furiously.

"Wow! If I hadn't seen Velma enter that van, I would have said this was a totally different person." Zack said, shaking his head. "You look incredible."

"Double wow! When people say clothes can change a person's looks they are not kidding." Luna said, floored by Velma's new look. "In fact, I think that suit really makes her look more attractive, don't you think?"

Sebastian certainly agreed with that statement as he continued to gape at Velma. She was breathe taking and just as beautiful as Daphne even though she would never believe it. The clothes though, were far more risque than he knew Velma would wear and that just made her look even hotter to his mind.

"Man! Velma, you are stunningly beautiful." He said, meaning every word.

"Uhh… gee… thanks, I guess." Velma said shyly, blushing hotly from Sebastian's intense look of appreciation.

Seeing Velma was getting a bit uneasy, Fred decided it was time to be off.

"Well, now that's solved, shall we get going?"

"Oh… uh… yeah… let's!" Sebastian stuttered a bit as he hurriedly climbed aboard his motorcycle, and waited for her to climb on behind him. "I'll lead the way." He reminded them.

Before he turned the engine on, Zack came closer and gave Velma a helmet. "The helmets have a headset incorporated in them. Just push the button on the left side to talk to us. I have one that matches yours. They work like a CB!" Zack told her then turned to Fred. "You guys should tune your CB to frequency 49 then we can all stay in contact." He told them.

"Right, frequency 49, got it." Daphne responded. "Let's go then!" She said climbing back into the van. The Hex girls and Zack did the same in their van.

"Okay, like, come on, Scoob, let's get going." Shaggy said, opening the door and waving the dog in.

"Rokay, Raggy!" The Great Dane exclaimed, jumping aboard the Mystery Machine.

Before Sebastian put on his helmet, he paused to turn to Velma. "For us to speak to each other privately just turn one notch down." He told her. She grinned and nodded, putting her helmet on as he turned back around and put his on.

"Can you hear me Velma?"

"Loud and clear, Sebastian." She answered promptly.

"Great, then hold on tight to me. Wouldn't want you to fall off the Creepy Crawler." His voice sounded hollow over the radio, but despite that she could hear the warmth in his voice.

"Just try not to go too fast, alright?" She responded primly. "I'm not really used to riding on one of these things."

He nodded and turned back to the front as she put her arms around Sebastian's waist. She felt kind of awkward holding onto him. She waited nervously for them to take off.

Sebastian started the engine and the music blared out at them, muffled by their helmets.

Using the headset radio, he called out to everyone, "Let's rock and roll, guys! Next stop Pinewood Hills!" He said then added, "Hold on tight, Velma!"

The motorcycle smoothly took off and they were soon shooting down the road. Velma gripped Sebastian tighter. 'Jinkies, this isn't so bad. It's kind of enjoyable… strange… but definitely enjoyable.' She thought, feeling exhilarated.

In convoy mode, they drove out of town then sped up as they got on the throughway. An hour went by and the ones in the vans pursued their own interests to pass the time.

In the Mystery Machine, Daphne wondered if she had done the right thing pushing Velma to ride with Sebastian; Shaggy and Scooby began eating some of their packed snacks; and Fred, of course, was totally focused on the road before him and keeping up with Sebastian and Velma.

As for the passengers of the Riddle Rider, Thorn and the girls were yakking and enjoying their time with Zack while he drove. He was enjoying their time together although Dusk had upset him a bit because she forbid him from eating Cheese Crisps inside the van… she hated the smell.

Meanwhile on the motorcycle, Velma was truly enjoying the ride. Sebastian, however, was having a hard time keeping himself from being distracted by Velma's warm body pressed against him.

Speaking over the radio, he asked, "Am I going too fast for you, Velma?"

"Oh no, in fact you could go a little faster if you want to." Velma said, rather giddily.

He smiled at that. "Looks like you're enjoying the ride on the Creepy Crawler. Is the music okay or should I find a different station?" He asked her.

"Oh, well I've really not paid any attention." She said then paused to listen. "It's okay, you don't have to change it."

Sebastian grinned at that then frowned when they hit an area where the signal was weaker. He fiddled around trying to find a stronger signal but didn't have any luck.

"Shoot. Looks like we've hit an area where the signal is too weak. Sorry, Velma." He said, shutting the radio off.

"That's okay." She answered blithely. "Why don't we talk with the others? That way, we won't feel that lonely." She suggested.

"Good idea!" Sebastian said, as they both pushed the button to tune in the same receiving frequency as the others. "Hey guys, how you doing back there?"

"We're fine here, bro!" Zack answered.

"Us roo!" Scooby responded for Fred.

"What's up guys? Having problems?" Fred asked in concern.

"Oh no, we're find really. Just can't pick up any music and thought we'd chat with you instead." Velma reassured them.

"Yeah, us too. Must be a dead zone here." Daphne said.

"Us too." Zack piped in. "But who needs a radio when we have three singers with us?"

"Actually, we have four, because Velma is an awesome singer too." Daphne replied.

"Really?! Well, come on girls, let's hear you?" Sebastian asked.

"What do you think we are? A jukebox, perhaps?" Dusk snorted, sarcastically.

"Aw, come on, Dusk, why don't we sing a little song? It will help pass the time and we won't fall asleep either." Thorn soothed her.

"Yeah and the rest of the guys can sing with us." Luna chimed in.

"Okay, alright, I was just kidding. Can't you all see when I'm being sarcastic?" Dusk sighed.

"So, what are you girls are going to, like, sing?" Shaggy asked them.

"Just a little song of ours and you all know the lyrics." Thorn said, in a mysterious voice, as she cleared her throat.

I'm gonna cast a spell on you  
You're gonna do what I want you to  
Mix you up in my little bowl  
Say a few words and you lose control

"Oh yeah… And that's because you are." Zack added his part.

I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you  
I'm gonna put a spell on you  
I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you  
Put a spell on you

You'll feel the fog as I cloud your mind  
You'll get dizzy when I make the sign  
You'll wake up in the dead of night  
Missing me when I'm out of sight

I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you  
I'm gonna put a spell on you  
I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you  
put a spell on you  
Oh yeah

With this little cobweb potion  
You'll fall into dark devotion  
If you ever lose affection  
I can change your whole direction

"And that's because you are…" Everyone said in chorus.

I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you  
I'm gonna put a spell on you  
I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you  
We're gonna put a spell on all of you

Singing cheered everyone up and made the time pass pleasantly. As day moved toward evening they continued to sing with Thorn and the rest of the girls. When they paused to wet their throats, Fred spoke up.

"Beautiful, simply beautiful, girls."

"Thanks!" Luna said happily.

"You know what, Scoob? We must be, like, the luckiest guys in the world, because we have the opportunity of enjoying a private concert from Thorn and the girls, without even having to leave the comfort of the Mystery Machine. Nothing could be more perfect, heh, Scoob?" Shaggy sighed happily.

"Reah, really rucky!" Scooby answered.

"Not bad, not bad at all… no wonder you're so famous. You're terrific!" Sebastian chimed in.

"You think that was good, then you haven't heard anything yet!" Luna promised cheekily.

"Yeah, we've barely gotten started! And to prove that, we're going to sing another song and we're going to rock you all with it!" Dusk said, now really excited to be singing.

"Well, you're not going to sing all by yourself, girls. Me and Velma are going to sing along too, and I choose the song this time." Sebastian said.

"Very well, which song do you want to sing?" Thorn asked.

"Let's see… Oh, I know, how about… "Bump in the Night"?" Sebastian asked.

"That's a great one…" Daphne said.

"Alright, let's do it Hex Girls, let's show them what we're made of!" Thorn exclaimed.

There's a chill in the air  
You hear a creak on the stairs  
You've got a knock on your door  
Is there anybody out?

[Bridge]  
They're out to get you  
To capture you  
And make you  
Spellbound  
Howling and frowling  
You're shivering, quivering  
Spellbound

[Chorus]  
You can not run,  
And you can not hide  
Yeah you gotta face it baby  
Things go bump in the night  
Where ever you run,  
And where ever you hide  
Yeah you gotta face it baby  
Things go bump, bump, bump in the night

Tell me who's spooking who  
It's very Scooby Doo  
You hear a shriek in the house  
You know its freaking me out

[Bridge]  
They're out to get you  
To capture you  
And make you  
Spellbound  
Howling and frowling  
You're shivering, quivering  
Spellbound

[Chorus]  
You can not run,  
And you can not hide  
Yeah you gotta face it baby  
Things go bump in the night  
Where ever you run,  
And where ever you hide  
Yeah you gotta face it baby  
Things go bump, bump, bump in the night

You can not run,  
And you can not hide  
Yeah you gotta face it baby  
Things go bump, bump, bump in the night

You know where ever you run,  
And where ever you hide  
Yeah you gotta face it baby  
Things go bump, bump, bump in the night.

The singing continued over the next two hours and would have kept going if they hadn't got so tired. They'd made two pit stops, getting gas, grabbing a meal, and changing drivers for the vans. Despite Zack's optimistic estimate they would arrive before dusk, it was moving into the night as they continued to drive. Some of them started taking naps so they would be fresh when they arrived. When they finally approached Pinewood Hills, they knew whatever waited for them would not be pretty.


	6. Breakfast in Pinewood Hills

Chapter 6: Breakfast in Pinewood Hills

After driving through most of the night, the Mystery Inc. gang along with the Hex Girls and the Milnor brothers finally arrived at Pinewood Hills, a very nice plaque spelled out the name as they approached the city limits.

The town itself looked like most American cities from that part of the country. But one thing that was striking about this particular city was the definite look of Raccoon City from the Resident Evil franchise, though it had a much friendlier appearance.

It was not quite dawn so the street lights were still on as they passed by a 24-hour diner. Shaggy and Scooby who were famished, started to beg Fred to stop.

"Ah, come on, Freddy! Like, stop the Mystery Machine just for a few minutes, so me and Scoob can go and grab something to eat." Shaggy pleaded.

"Reah, stop!" Scooby added his two cents worth.

"No can do guys." Fred said firmly. "Sebastian and Zack said that Mark would be expecting us right in front of city hall and we're already hours late. Besides, I'm sure you guys can hold out a little longer, until we meet him."

"But, we haven't eat in almost three hours and twenty-seven minutes, Fred!" Shaggy whined. "You know when it comes to solving mysteries, our stomachs digest food a little faster than they usually do."

"Your stomachs always digest food faster than they should, no matter what the occasion is." Daphne sighed.

The conversation ended abruptly when there was a call over the radio.

"There's City Hall!" Came Sebastian's voice.

The building had been built of old red brick with a clock tower that was marking the time at five in the morning. In front of it there was a garden with a fancy white fountain spraying water. There were a few benches scattered around the garden, where beautiful flowers flourished. The flowers and the grass had been sprinkled a few hours before and you could definitely see they were still wet.

Sebastian parked the Creepy Crawler right in front of City Hall, followed by the others who pulled up beside him.

"Finally! We've arrived!" Zack said in relief as he climbed out of the Riddle Rider.

"You said it!… My back is killing me." Sebastian groaned as he pulled his helmet off. He turned a bit to ask Velma, "What about you, Velma? Are you okay?"

"Ohh, yeah… more or less… I think my legs are little wobbly still, like they were made out of gelatine." Velma groaned as well as she eased herself off the bike.

"That happens when you're not used to riding a motorcycle, but don't worry, you'll get used to it." Sebastian assured her and got off too.

"Speaking of jello, me and Scooby are famished." Shaggy took up his complaint again. "Can we go to that 24 hour-diner back there now? We want to something to fight off the munchies."

"Reah, runchies!" Scooby growled as did his stomach.

"You guys are always hungry…" Luna observed.

"Sometimes I wonder how you guys managed to eat everything that was on Jack's Restaurant menu back in Oakhaven." Dusk said, shaking her head.

"Like, it wasn't that difficult. Everything was delicious… Especially those last 12 pumpkin pies he served us." Shaggy said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Reah, really relicious!" Scooby agreed, smacking his lips.

"I almost thought I wouldn't be able to eat another bite that night… that is, until you girls showed up and scared the living daylights out of us with those vampire fangs of yours, making us run for almost nine blocks at full speed, and inevitably, making us hungry again." Shaggy explained.

"Well…it wasn't our fault that you guys are a pair of scaredy cats and we scared you away." Thorn said in amusement, while giggling.

"Good one, Thorn!" Dusk added, laughing about it.

"Thanks."

"Still, I could really go for a few cheeseburgers with extra pickles and a huge amount of French fries, with a couple of maple syrup milkshakes." Shaggy sighed, dreamily.

"I would settle for a huge stack of pancakes, myself." Zack agreed, his stomach also rumbling.

"You guys quit it!" Daphne scolded them.

"Yeah, we're here to solve a mystery, not to attend an all-you-can-eat buffet." Velma said, as she paced back and forth. Her leather suit was starting to be uncomfortable. "We are still waiting for Mark which the reason for us being here. You can wait to eat just a little longer."

"Speaking of whom, I wonder where he is." Fred commented, looking around.

"He knew we were coming." Sebastian said. "But we are rather late. Maybe he fell asleep, or got tired of waiting."

"Or maybe the spooky ghost he was talking about on his e-mails got him." Shaggy said nervously.

"Reah, spooky ghost!" Scooby whimpered, covering his eyes with his paws, while shivering with fear.

"I wouldn't count on that… Look over there!" Daphne said, suddenly, pointing to a guy sleeping against a wall on the other side of the street where they stood. "Is that him?" She asked

Zack and Sebastian looked over where the redhead was pointing and immediately recognized their cousin from the photos his father sent them, every Christmas. He was wearing an orange t-shirt with green trousers, and a pair of orange sneakers, similar to the ones Shaggy wore. His face somewhat resembled Sebastian's, although he was a little thinner. He had spiky hair that was similar to his cousin's and was golden brown in colour.

"It's him alright." Sebastian and Zack answered in chorus.

They all walked to the other side of the street.

"He probably fell asleep waiting for us." Fred said.

"I'm a little surprised that he didn't hear the sound from our rides, especially the Creepy Crawler." Daphne remarked.

"He always slept like a rock when he was a kid." Zack said dismissively as he reached out to Mark and shook his shoulder to wake him. "Hey, Mark, wake up, cousin, it's us!" He said loudly, continuing to shake his cousin until the man finally opened his eyes.

Beautiful crystalline-blue eyes blinked at them as he stretched and yawned. He shook himself a bit to further wake himself up.

"Guess I fell asleep, guys. What the heck took you soo long?" He asked in a mellow voice.

"Well we got off a bit late and the trip from Coolsville to here is quite long." Zack told him. "How long have you been here?"

"Since midnight, give or take a minute or two." Mark answered, getting to his feet. "So, how have you been?"

"Oh we've been good. Zack and I have travelled around a lot that is, until we got your message about a creepy and sinister ghost making off with your father. We're excited about trying to help you find him and we decided we might need a little help doing it." Sebastian said turning toward his friends. "Let me introduce Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and these are Luna, Thorn and Dusk. Over there is Shaggy's great Dane, Scooby-Doo."

"Whoa! The famous Mystery Inc. and the Hex Girls!" Mark exclaimed. "It's an honour to meet you all." He said in awe, as he shook their hands. "I never expected you would bring reinforcements, especially the world renowned detectives and the most popular eco-goth band this side of the Atlantic."

"Well, we don't like to brag about our work but if you say that we're the specialists, then who are we to say the opposite, right?" Daphne said with no little pride.

"Believe me when I say, I was not expecting you. I mean, I was expecting my cousins to come and help me with this, but not you. Anyway, I got lots of stuff to tell you about this mystery, but I think that they can just wait until you guys get some shut-eye." Mark said politely.

"Well, we could really go for a little nap right about now." Fred agreed, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Like, not before we have something to eat, Freddie." Shaggy insisted.

"Hey, I got an idea… Why don't you tell us a few things about the mystery itself, while those two over there and my brother have something to eat? What do you say?" Sebastian asked.

"Why not? And I know just the perfect place, where we can have an early breakfast." Mark said, grinning.

"Is it the awesome 24-hour diner we passed coming in?" Shaggy asked, nearly drooling.

"Actually, no… It's a much better place. And if I were you, I would not get near that diner, folks. There were already two people who had a serious case of food-poisoning in the last three months since that place opened." Mark warned them. "They say the cook is terrible."

Scooby and Shaggy nearly lost their appetites hearing that but regained them at the sight of the cool malt shop Mark took them too. It was very festive and colourful, inside and out. Through the window they saw light-blue tables with matching chairs. At the moment, there were no customers and the two waitresses, standing behind the counter, looked bored. One was reading a science magazine, while the other fixed her nails.

They could see the reader of the science magazine wore a tag that said, Jenny while the girl fixing her nails had one that said, Melody. Both had blonde hair and green eyes and were wearing matching light blue shirts and dark blue jeans with black sneakers. You almost couldn't tell them apart except Melody wore her hair straight while Jenny had her hair in pigtails held by red rubber bands.

The group trooped in behind Mark, immediately their noses perked up at the smell of fresh baked bread and pastries. Big smiles spread across their faces in anticipation of a good meal.

Melody and Jenny stopped what they were doing and smiled at the large group standing before them.

"Well, good morning to you Mark." Melody said brightly. "I see you brought company with you."

"Morning, Melody… These here are my cousins, Sebastian and Zack, and their friends." Mark told the girls.

"You've come here to help solve the mystery, haven't you?" Jenny asked, excitedly.

"Well, we're certainly going to try." Zack said.

Jenny stared at the whole group for a few more moments then recognition lit her eyes and she screamed in shocked surprise and pleasure.

"I knew it! I knew I'd seen you from somewhere! You're the Mystery Inc. gang and you guys are the Hex Girls!" Jenny cried out, nearly hopping for joy.

"Looks like we have been caught in the act, girls." Luna said dryly

"Oh my God! Thorn, Dusk and Luna, here and now! I'm your biggest fan!" Jenny said, beside herself with excitement. "I mean it! I know all of your songs and I have attended most of your concerts when you were on tour on this side of the country. I'm even the president of one of your official fan clubs!"

"I'm glad you like our work, Jenny." Thorn said, mildly amused.

"I know you girls must be tired of hearing this, but, can I have your autographs?" Jenny begged, shyly.

"Sure, it'll be our pleasure." Dusk said warmly then turned to her fellow travellers "Does anyone of you have a pen?

"I'll go get my autograph book and my camera. Just give me a minute." Jenny said hurriedly, as she disappeared through the kitchen door.

Melody was a bit embarrassed by her sister's behaviour. "Uhm… sorry about my sister's… ahh… over enthusiastic greeting. She's a bit crazy about you guys… like way over the top crazy."

"Oh, that's okay. We're really used to that kind of behaviour around us." Thorn said politely.

"Well, we're not." Shaggy said, as he grabbed Scooby, who had leapt into his arms, shivering with fear. "In our business, screams usually mean something bad is about to happen."

"Which means you're always afraid." Velma said, snorting.

"I'm surprised Zack didn't panic too." Fred said staring at Zack.

"Oh, he did, Fred. He just didn't have manage to leap into someone's arms because he froze in place instead." Sebastian said in amusement.

Only minutes later, Jenny came dashing back into the room clutching a book with a red cover in one hand and a pen in the other. Grinning from ear to ear, she handed the items to Thorn.

Thorn smiled gently and began to sign in the autograph book. As each one signed the book, Jenny used her camera to get pictures of all of them. Then she gave the camera to her sister, so that she could get a picture of herself standing with the Hex Girls.

After the commotion died down, the group was allowed to take their seat at the tables and began looking at the menus. The twins waited patiently to take their orders. Jenny's eyes still glowed with her joy at seeing her idols.

It was no surprise that Shaggy ordered first after only looking at the menu a minute. "Like, I think we'll have a couple of cheeseburgers, a huge amount of French Fries, a stack of toasts, a few chocolate muffins, one of those blueberry pies that looks delicious, a box of donuts and a few King-size chocolate milkshakes."

"I think we'll just have a baloney and cheese sandwich each with vanilla milkshakes." Fred said, ordering for himself, Velma and Daphne.

"Zack will have the same as those two over here." Sebastian said pointing at Shaggy and Scoob. "As for me, I'll have a strawberry milkshake and a slice of that delicious strawberry pie, which I can't take my eyes of."

"What about you, girls?" Zack asked the Hex Girls.

"I think we'll have a lemon tea and a slice of blueberry pie each." Luna said, ordering for her group.

"Okay… and what about you, Mark? You'll have the usual cappuccino?" Melody asked.

"Yeah, you know I'm trying to keep my weight down." He said, grinning at her.

"Anything else, guys?" Jenny asked.

"Rancakes!" Scooby exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, you're right, Scoob… and a huge stack of pancakes with strawberry syrup, for me and my best buddy." Shaggy added to their order.

"Okay, got it. Wow! Sounds like you guys are really hungry. We'll be right back with your orders." Melody said, smiling as she and her twin sister left for the kitchen, leaving the group to talk amongst themselves.

"Those two are really something." Zack commented.

Oh, they definitely are. They're both extremely smart and they love music. In fact, Melody is a great fan of both of your groups, but she usually doesn't mention it, unlike Jenny." Mark explained. "Anyway, I'm sure you guys are all asking yourselves why I asked Sebastian and Zack to come and help me." He began.

"We are… or at least I am." Sebastian said.

"Okay, but I'm not sure where to begin." Mark said hesitantly.

"Why don't you tell us about the disappearance of your father?" Velma coaxed him.

"Well, for those of you who don't know it, my father is the famous scientist and inventor, Harold G. Milnor." Mark began. "He disappeared without a trace, right in front of my eyes, and the ghost that's been haunting the mansion where we live is, I'm certain, the one responsible."

After that surprising beginning, Mark told the group about that fateful night. The others tried to image the scene as he described it.

He and his father had just finished dinner and were in the library spending some quality time together when Mark brought up the subject of the spooky ghost. His father was sceptical.

"_But dad, I'm telling you the ghost is real and he wants us out of here!_"

Harold G. Milnor was considered by many to bear a striking resemblance to former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. He even wore the same distinctive moustache. As was usual for him, he was wearing a lab coat, a pair of green pants, along with black leather shoes. He had been reading a book which now rested in his lap when his son brought up the ghost.

"_Mark, there is no such thing as ghouls, ghosts, goblins or monsters. There is always a rational explanation for everything._"

"_Dad, if you're insinuating that I'm losing my mind, then forget it! I know what I saw and I know what I heard! That ghost is real and he wants us out of this mansion._" Mark said flatly.

"_I couldn't agree more with you, kid!_" A creepy voice was heard.

Mark and his father looked around for the author of the voice but saw no one then a huge plume of smoke poured from the fireplace. It was strange looking because it was coloured black with a purplish hue.

The air was suddenly filled with a maniacal laugh which started soft but grew progressively louder until a man dressed in a Victorian style black suit appeared. He wore a brilliant white shirt and a ridiculously huge cape. His hair was black and scruffy and his mouth sported razor sharp teeth. But what was even more disturbing was the fact his eyes were glowing red. He had some kind of red glowing globe that was floating right next to him. Its interior looked like it was alive. Terrified by the dreadful and horrendous creature, Dr. Milnor asked in a trembling voice:

"_W-Who are you?_"

"_Of course, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself._" The mysterious creature said. "_My name is Robert Spearritt and I'm the owner of this mansion._" He said coldly.

"_What_ _are you talking about?! I am the owner of this mansion!_" Harold said in shocked outrage.

"_Oh, I don't think you understood, my good doctor… I meant to say that I'm the original owner of this mansion!_"

"_See dad, I told you it was a ghost!_" Mark exclaimed.

"_Don't be ridiculous, Mark! There's no such thing as ghosts! Now tell your friend to stop with these shenanigans and get out of that ridiculous outfit!_" Dr. Milnor ordered, regaining his dignity and getting angry.

"_This is far from being a shenanigan, Dr. Milnor!_" The ghost said nastily. "_I'm deadly serious when I say I want you and your son, and everyone else around here gone from my mansion, immediately._"

To emphasize his threat, books on the shelves began to tremble then fly off, hitting walls and objects in the room. Mark and his father had to duck. While Mark hid under a table, his father continued to sit in his chair and watch his library being turned into a war zone. He still did not believe this was a ghost doing this though and was getting more furious by the moment.

"_Now you listen here, I don't care what you want! I bought this mansion and the land its on in a legal contract. Besides, if you are who you say are, then you're already dead! Why do you need this mansion?_" Harold asked reasonably.

"_That doesn't concern you!!!_" The ghost roared angrily then turned to Mark who was hiding under the table. "I _told you to warn your father to leave here!_" He shouted.

"_But I…_"

"_Doesn't matter anymore! If you don't want to get out, then I will make you disappear, permanently!!!_" The ghost cut him off.

With a smooth quick move of his arms, he threw what looked like a cloud of smoke at Dr. Milnor, hitting him directly in the chest. The smoke spread rapidly until it filled the room, Robert Sperritt could be heard laughing again.

When the dark smoke finally disappeared, Mark found himself alone in the library. There was no sign of his father anywhere. He looked around, and once again his heart almost stopped.

"_As for you, young Mark, if you don't want to experience your father's fate, I'd advise you to get out of this house and never come back!_" The voice of the ghost filled the room again then all was silent once more.

"And that's what happened… I don't even know if my dad is alive or not." Mark told them, worriedly.

"Like, that's highly creepy!" Shaggy commented.

"Reah, reepy!" Scooby agreed.

"But what about the police? Didn't they investigate your dad's disappearance?" Fred asked.

"They did, but let's just say that the sheriff is not exactly my dad's number one fan." Mark said unhappily.

Melody and Jenny, who had been listening to the conversation, were now approaching the tables with their orders. As they placed the cheeseburgers in front of Zack, Shaggy and Scooby, Melody said:

"Speaking of whom, he's heading this way to pick up his usual stash of donuts for breakfast…"

She'd barely muttered the warning when a bulky man in a uniform, entered the malt shop. His uniform consisted of dark blue pants, blue shirt, and shiny black shoes. His badge was pinned to his less than immaculate shirt. It had stains of mustard or mayonnaise on it. He had a head of sparse brown hair, brown beady eyes and it looked like he was in a foul mood.

"Good morning, Sheriff, you're a little earlier than usual today." Melody said pleasantly as she went behind the counter and grabbed a box full of donuts, putting in a paper sack. "Something happen?" She asked innocently.

"Nah! Just got tired of being behind the desk doing nothing." He rumbled, irritably.

"You always get tired of doing nothing, Sheriff." Mark muttered under his breath.

"What did you just say, boy?!" The Sheriff snapped, turning suddenly to Mark, giving him a menacing look.

"I said, you always get tired of doing nothing, sheriff?" Mark asked nastily. "If you were doing your job properly, instead of shoving donuts down your throat, maybe you would have found out who's behind my father's disappearance!"

"Now you listen and listen well, boy! I don't take orders, especially from a kid like you!" The Sheriff snarled at him. He glanced at the group sitting with Mark.

Scooby and Shaggy were already a little apprehensive with the way the man was talking, and the others were not exactly enjoying the situation either.

"I did my job, which was to find out what happened to your father, so far there's been no sign of him." The Sheriff said flatly.

"That's because you only searched the house but never searched the grounds or are you afraid of the ghost, who you've claimed that doesn't exist?" Mark growled bitterly. "Or is it because you were never a fan of my father's work?"

"That's got nothing to do with it!" The Sheriff said coldly, trying to contain his anger. "And besides, I told you to stay out of this! The same goes for your friends here. If you're smart, you'll stay away from that mansion!"

"Why the heck would I stay away from my own home?" Mark hissed furiously.

"Because it's still under investigation and I don't need you or your friends mudding up any evidence that might still be there, that's why. Even if we've found nothing so far. So stop bugging me and stay away from there, I'm warning you." The Sheriff said. "Now I've said more than I should." Angrier than when he came in, the Sheriff grabbed his bag of donuts, paid and stormed out without saying another word.

"Wow, what a grouch!" Daphne said, shaking her head.

"That's old Sheriff Robinson M. Colt, guys." Jenny said. "He's always like that, so don't take it personal. Since he's been running the office, nothing is ever done and worst of all, he doesn't like strangers… In fact, he doesn't like anyone, except his wife and himself, obviously."

"Not really a person you would like to find in a dark alley nor is he the right kind of person to be sheriff." Velma said thoughtfully.

"Now I begin to understand why you said the local authorities haven't done anything about your father's disappearance, Mark." Fred said, sympathetically.

"But don't you worry… You got the best experts to help you in this. Solving mysteries is what Fred and the gang do best." Sebastian assured Mark. "If something fishy is going on where you live, they'll find out what it is, even if we have to demolish the place to do it."

"We'll begin the investigation first thing tomorrow, and we'll take our secret weapon to help us find clues." Fred said.

"And what is that?" Dusk asked.

"Simple… Shaggy and Scooby… They are our secret weapon." Fred told her, grinning.

When they heard their names, the teenager and the dog almost choked on the cheeseburgers they were eating.

"U-Us? But why us, Freddie?"

"Reah! Rhy rus?"

"Because you guys bump into clues all the time… With you two, we'll be sure to find out what's really going on." Fred said with certainty.

"You know what, Scooby? I think I just lost my appetite…"

"Re roo, Raggy."

"I think you might reconsider that once you see what Melody and Jenny are bringing you." Thorn said, as she giggled.

Besides bringing the rest of the things the guys ordered, the twin sisters also brought something special for Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, a pepperoni and bacon pizza with a very special ingredient on the topping, Scooby Snacks.

"Wow! A pepperoni and bacon pizza with Scooby Snacks on top of it!" Shaggy exclaimed as his eyes feasted on the delicious treat.

"Reah, Rooby Snacks!"

"We thought you two would like it." Jenny said with a smile on her face. "Consider this our welcome gift, guys."

Scooby and Shaggy decided the pizza was the first thing they were going to eat, but before they could eat the first slice, Zack decided he was also going to try it. Grabbing a slice, he poured even more Scooby Snacks he had in his back pack and started to eat.

"Hey! Like, why did you do that?" Shaggy asked him.

"Simple… I told you, of the two of us, I'm the one who still eats more pizzas in 10 minutes than you do. If I don't practice, I'll get rusty." Zack said with his mouth full.

"But did you really have to practice with our pizza, man?" Shaggy complained, to which Zack just shrugged with a mischievous smile on his lips.


	7. Spearitt Manor

Chapter 7: Spearitt Manor

After their meal, Mark took them to the motel where he was staying so they could get some sleep. Since they were so tired from the trip, they decided they would sleep through the day. It was decided they would begin their snooping around Spearitt Manor around six p.m., to see if there were any clues the police might have missed, that way they would have a starting point for the investigation.

"So it's settled…we'll go there tonight." Fred said.

"Yeah… If we're going to do some investigating tonight, we'd better take a nice nap." Zack added.

"Thank God for that! My skin really needs its beauty sleep." Daphne sighed, as she looked at herself in a pocket mirror she was holding in her left hand.

"I agree with Daphne! We vampire-girls really need our beauty sleep too, you know." Luna said around a very big yawn.

"Like, I just don't get one thing. Why do we have to do our snooping around at night when it's the spookiest?" Shaggy whined.

"It's simple, Shaggy. Because the ghost only appears at night and if want to have a chance in confronting him, then logically, we will have to do our investigation at night." Velma said bluntly.

"I'm starting to think I should have stayed in Coolsville, Scooby." Shaggy muttered to his canine companion.

"Reah, I rink I rould rave stayed rere." Scooby growled unhappily, sharing Shaggy's aversion to going into a haunted mansion at night.

As the sun rose over the hills, the gang prepared for a few deserved hours of sleep. As they all got into bed, each thought about what kind of clues they would find, and more importantly, what kind of dangers they would face.

Shaggy and Scooby shivered just thinking about it. Fred's only thought was what kind of traps he would need for this mission. Zack and Sebastian didn't give the mission a thought as they flopped onto their bed and were quickly out like a light. After doing her night time routine, Daphne sighed in relief as she sank into her bed and fell asleep. Velma had a little more difficult time sleeping as her mind played over how much she enjoyed being in Sebastian's company on the trip here. She'd never dreamed she would have so much fun riding a motorcycle. A smile graced her lips as she drifted off to sleep some time later.

As the sun was setting, they all woke. Dressing, they joined up and headed for the dining room for a meal to fortify them. Now full and rested, they left the motel and headed for Spearitt Manor.

Mark was their guide. He lead the way in his Jeep, the rest followed in the same caravan as the night before except Velma had decided to ride in the Mystery Machine leaving Sebastian to ride alone on the Creepy Crawler. The road they took was smooth through the town until they reached the outskirts. There, the road was rougher as they passed through some spooky old woods.

As they road along, Scooby and Shaggy were getting a really bad feeling about the road they were taking. One of the reasons was how quiet it was out here. The only sound that was heard in the air was the sound of their vehicles and the occasional chirp from an owl, which only made the atmosphere even spookier.

"Like, is it me or is the deeper we go into this spooky wood, the spookier it gets?" Shaggy asked nervously, looking quite frightened, even more frightened than Scooby.

"Oh, Shaggy, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a very large and dark wood, nothing more, nothing less." Velma pointed it out.

"I'm not afraid of the woods… I'm afraid of what's hiding in them!" Shaggy retorted. "For all we know, there could be a scary monster hiding in there that's just waiting to jump on the road and attack us, right, Scooby-Doo?"

"Reah, a rpooky ronster!" Scooby exclaimed, as he curled himself right next to Shaggy, putting his paws in front of his eyes, in an attempt to not see what might happen in case Shaggy was right.

"You two chickens…" Velma sighed in disgust, as she turned her attention back to the road ahead.

On the Creepy Crawler, Sebastian had turned his lights on at full power, because the woods blocked any light. Even the moon couldn't pierce the gloom.

In the Riddle Rider, Thorn and the girls marvelled at the atmosphere that surrounded them and were already developing ideas for new songs.

"This is really the perfect place for us to gather mystical energies and inspiration for our songs." Luna commented.

"You're so right. These dark and spooky woods are really a cool place. It almost feels like they could talk to us while transmitting a sense of danger and solitude at the same time." Thorn observed.

"They actually remind me of our hometown, girls. Especially the way the trees move with the wind." Dusk noted, as she peered through her window. "The wind seems to be whispering a message to us."

"Probably telling us to get the heck out of here… I don't like the looks of this place. It really gives me the creeps, you know?" Zack said shakily, body trembling.

"Stop being such a scaredy-cat, Zack. This place is actually kind of romantic." Thorn scolded him mildly.

"Only if you're a Marilyn Manson fan." Zack scoffed at them.

Finally they reached the end of the woods and were able to see by moonlight once more. In the distance one could see Spearitt Manor. As they got closer, they could see the manor was magnificent and huge done in Victorian style with traces of Gothic and Baroque here and there.

Mark had told them the manor had eight floors. They could believe it as they stared at the tall brick walls darkened by time, the greenish covered roof with countless chimneys, and the finishing touch were the scary looking black marble gargoyles adorning the roof edge, staring down at them lending an even creepier look to the place.

It was probably the biggest mansion anyone of them had ever seen in their lives. It was surrounded by a tall wall of bushes interrupted by a, now open, large black, wrought-iron gate. As they passed through the gate and went up the long drive they passed a sumptuous fountain adorned with bronze mermaids. Surrounding the road in the courtyard, there were emerald green lawns and a few leafless trees, lending the place a more sinister look.

Parking before the ornate front door, Mark climbed out of his jeep and waited for the rest to join him. When they had he made a grand gesture, "Welcome to Spearitt Manor."

"It's a lot bigger than I remembered it." Zack said in awe.

"Wow! Quite a place you've got here, Mark." Fred enthused, staring upward at the gargoyles.

"It reminds me of some of the mansions we saw on our trips to England, but this is much bigger." Velma commented.

"If you ask me, it looks more like Count Dracula's Summer House." Shaggy whispered to Scooby-Doo.

"Reah, Rount Rracula Rummer Rouse, Raggy." Scooby agreed with him.

"I actually I think it's cute and creepy at the same time, like a haunted fairy-tale castle, you know?" Dusk commented standing near her chicken-hearted companions, who were already shaking slightly.

Mark merely smiled at them all and led the way up the marble steps to the huge carved oak door then waited for someone to answer. The others stared at him in surprise since they had been led to believe the place was empty. Moments later, they heard the door opening. Standing in the doorway was a tall, skinny, pale and bold figure, dressed in a white shirt, black suit and matching shoes who eyed the group with curiosity. As soon as Scooby saw the creepy figure, he leaped into Shaggy's arms, shaking like a leaf.

"Rikes, the rhost!" He stuttered in fright.

"Take it easy, Scooby-Doo, it's not a ghost…" –Mark said – "This is James, our butler."

"Good evening, Master Mark," the old man greeted Mark in a low and uncanny voice. "I see you have brought guests with you. I presume they are going to stay for the night?" He asked politely.

"That's correct, James." Mark said cheerfully. James nodded and stepped to the side so the group could pass through and into the foyer. "Tell Mrs. Whisper and the rest of the staff to prepare rooms for them and start dinner. Also, inform them my cousins Sebastian and Zack are here as well so they need to them fix up their usual rooms." He instructed the butler.

"Very good, sir." James acknowledged the orders as he closed the door then departed through a door to their right.

The foyer looked quite ordinary which was surprising since the outside led them to believe it would be just as fancy inside. Noting their looks, Mark just smiled broadly and walked to a set of double doors.

Opening it, Mark gestured for them to step in and look around. As they did so they were floored by this room's appearance. It was a colossal round hall, marvellously decorated. It had an eerie likeness to the interior of the Opera House of Paris in the Phantom of the Opera's movie.

The ceiling over head was a beautifully adorned glass dome with a huge crystal candelabrum. A huge staircase to the right of them, gave access to the upper floors. There were huge golden and silver statues adorning all the floors, but these were not statues of angels or archangels, but rather statues of demons and other creepy creatures. The walls were all black and the floor was black and white. The furniture matched the rest of the decor, rich and opulent as were the paintings adorning the walls. The only jarring thing was the images on those paintings. They were morbid, done in monochromatic colours of grey and dark blue, mixed with some shades of black.

"Deadly vu! Talk about your average spooky neo-gothic mansion." Luna said, looking around and contemplating all details in the room's embellishment.

"What a creepy looking place…" Shaggy said, while trying not to faint.

"This mystery just keeps getting better and better by the minute!" Velma exclaimed, excitedly. "Solving a mystery in a house like this has got to be the coolest thing we have ever done, folks! A house like this is the perfect place for a mystery to happen."

"Whoa, Velma, try to slow down for a second," Daphne admonished her.

"Sorry… but this mansion really is an otherworldly beauty, don't you think? Can you imagine the history hidden in these walls?" Velma said, eyes shining as she walked nearer to one of the statues and examined it more closely.

"Well, history surely left its mark around here… I think this place is covered with more dust and spider-webs than the attic in my parent's house," Daphne remarked, as she ran her fingers through the dust layer that covered the statue.

"Yeah, the house is huge alright and the maid has a hard job keeping it clean." Mark agreed. "But, hey! You've got to admit, all of these spider-webs give the house a cool look… Spooky and creepy, but cool nonetheless." Mark chuckled.

"So, where do we start?" Dusk asked.

"Well, first why not take a look in the library and see the place where Mark's father disappeared?" Fred suggested.

"Great idea, Fred." Mark enthused. "Come on, I'll give you all the tour."

As the group followed Mark, they noticed that Shaggy and Scooby were not moving. They stared back at the pair questioningly.

"What are you two waiting for?" Velma asked in annoyance.

"This place is giving us the creeps." Shaggy said flatly.

"Is there any place that does not give you two the creeps?" Sebastian asked them, sarcastically.

"Reah… the ritchen!" –Scooby answered promptly, licking his lips.

"Scoob's right! A kitchen is never a creepy place. "

"Then, maybe what you guys need is a little snack. Take that corridor over there and walk until you reach the end of it, then turn left. Walk a few more meters and go through the double-doors on your right, you can't miss it. Our cook is probably there cooking dinner, so ask her for whatever you want." Mark told them.

"After you've finished, there's a staircase at the back of the kitchen that will lead you directly to the third floor, where the library is. When you get out of the staircase, look around for a door that has the word "Library" carved on it. We'll be there waiting for you."

"Sounds like a good plan, right Scooby-Doo?" Shaggy said excitedly.

"Reah, a really rood plan!"

"Okay, then don't forget we will be waiting for you upstairs, you two. Enjoy your snack." Sebastian said, as they started to climb up the staircase.

Following Mark's directions, the cowardly duo walked through the corridor, heading towards the kitchen, where they thought they would find something that would fill up their stomachs, and possibly, although very unlikely, give them enough courage to start looking for clues to solve that mystery.

As soon as they opened the double-doors to the kitchen, they were surrounded by a sweet aroma. The scent was of cinnamon, vanilla and strawberries… no doubt the cook was probably fixing something special for desert. The kitchen had an old fashioned style, but it was equipped with the most modern appliances. The floor was white while the walls were covered with shelves and they could see a pantry cupboard filled with all kinds of spices and ingredients. Right next to the oven was a small bookshelf that had countless cookbooks. On the stove there were: a pan and a pressure cooker, both emanating a delicious smell.

Scooby's nose detected that whatever was cooking in that pan, had peppers, tomatoes, and Edam cheese. They both looked around, searching for the cook, but there was no sign of her.

"Like, there's no one here, Scoob." Shaggy pointed out unnecessarily.

"Ri'll say…"

"Well, since she's not here, might as well help ourselves with what is in the pantries and in the fridge." Shaggy decided, putting thought to action.

Following Shaggy, Scooby went to the fridge and when he opened it, saw it was packed full of food. Using his paws and his tail, he started taking out everything that would be perfect for a delicious sandwich. Shaggy, on the other hand, opened all the pantries looking for bread, and was amazed to see that besides bread, they were all filled with jars of cookies and other delicious treats. In fact, there was enough food in that kitchen for a banquet. After getting everything he could carry, he went to where Scooby was, and started preparing two huge sandwiches.

"You know, maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea, you know, Scoob, old friend, old buddy, old pal… If we had stayed in Coolsville, we would not be here enjoying this small feast," Shaggy declared, as he sliced the salami and the ham, and threw them to Scooby, who was busy spreading butter and mustard on a couple of bread slices.

"Reah… Raybe it was a rood idea."

After a few minutes, both of them had accomplished what most people thought it would be impossible, two giant sandwiches as tall as them. They had put everything on them, from bacon to chocolate syrup, something only the two of them would be able to eat without seeing it as disgusting. They had been so entertained confectioning them that they did not even notice someone or something had entered the kitchen and was staring at them from the shadows.

"Well, I think this should do it, Scoob. We better eat them fast and get going because the others are already wondering where we are. Down the hatch!" He said, as he prepared himself to take the first bite out of his sandwich, when he stopped. "Man, I almost forgot the anchovies! A good sandwich always needs anchovies. They are probably in the fridge."

"Ri'll get them!" Scooby said, as he put down his sandwich and went to the fridge to grab the anchovies.

After a few seconds of searching, Scooby looked back at his friend. "I ran't find them, Raggy!" He said unhappily but was interrupted by a voice that said, "Try on the top shelf of the blue pantry."

Not thinking, Scooby did as he was told and quickly found four cans of cans of anchovies. He grabbed one and opened it then hurried back to Shaggy so it could be added to the sandwiches.

"Ranks for relling me where the ranchovies were, Raggy." Scooby said, as he put the anchovies on top of the sandwiches.

"But, like, I didn't tell you anything, Scooby…"

"You ridn't?!" Scooby asked, freezing suddenly, fear crawling up his spine.

"No, I didn't say anything to you, old buddy." Shaggy said carefully, feeling goose pimples riding his skin.

"Rell, if you ridn't tell me where the ranchovies were, rhen, who rid it?"

"I did…" The voice in the shadows answered.

From out of the shadows, a white Persian cat came striding out, tail held high as it walked up to the cowardly duo. Its fur was white as snow and incredibly fluffy, and its eyes were as blue as sapphires. As she moved closer to Shaggy and Scooby, the duo could not help but feel something didn't feel right about her.

"No need to thank me," The cat said haughtily as she stopped and sat down before them, giving a small meow.

Shocked and terrified, the pair dropped their sandwiches and Scooby leaped into Shaggy's arms, trembling in fear as they stood rooted to the floor and gaped at the strange cat.

"Zoinks! A talking ghost cat!" Shaggy screamed loudly. "Let's get out of here, Scoob!"

Running with the Great Dane still in his arms, Shaggy nearly flew up the staircase they had been told led to the library.

The cat watched the pair flee in amusement, laughing to herself the whole while.

Meanwhile, up in the library, Fred and the rest of the group were being given a tour by Mark. The entire library looked like the ones that were seen in movies of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.

In fact, Sebastian thought this one was quite similar to the one seen in the movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", which belonged to the character of Dorian Gray, only larger.

The room had two floors and the bookcases were filled with books of all sorts, some of them were quite old and fragile, while others looked brand new. The imposing fireplace from where the spectre was supposed to have appeared was filled with nothing but ashes now. There was an enormous Arabian carpet, like the ones people usually saw on the city of Istanbul, Turkey, lying before the fireplace and placed on it were four majestic chairs of red Corinthian leather, a red sofa and a table where a black and white ivory chess board rested without anyone to play it.

Behind the sofa there was a desk that had numerous objects on it; a golden metallic globe, a box of ancient pens, and a couple of research books piled high and a little dusty, probably because no one had picked them up and read them for quite a while. And finally, right next to the Earth's globe (a magnificent piece of wood and black iron that had the continents sculpted in a manner that looked almost real), there was a mini-bar with three crystal bottles filled with various beverages. Since the place was tided up, Mark and the rest assumed the house staff had cleaned up after the police concluded their investigation.

"Awesome library!" Fred exclaimed.

"This library is huge… There must be books of all kinds of subjects inside this room." Velma said, awestruck as her eyes gazed upon the huge collection.

"It's a possibility." Mark said with a shrug. "I've never actually decided to check them all… and even if I wanted to, it would take me years."

"Tell us, was it from here your dad disappeared?" Daphne asked Mark.

"That is correct, Daphne. It was right there, where Luna is standing," Mark answered then suddenly the library door flew open with a bang as Scooby and Shaggy raced in, terror still on their faces and panting frantically from their run.

"What happened?" Velma asked them, as they tried to catch their breath.

"What did you two scaredy-cats see this time? A giant velociraptor?" Dusk asked them with a sarcastic smile on her lips.

"Me and Scoob saw a talking cat!"

"Reah! A ralking rat!" Scooby-Doo exclaimed.

"A talking cat?!" The others chorused, in disbelief and shock.


	8. A Walk Through the Graveyard

Chapter 8: A Walk through the Graveyard

Everyone stared at Shaggy and Scooby with rather serious and astounded expressions. For a couple of seconds, no one spoke a word, unable to think what to say about the amazing statement they spouted nor whether they should believe it!

Finally, Velma broke the uncomfortable silence but her voice dripped scepticism, "A talking cat? Are you serious? You two sure you know what you just said?"

"Like, if there are two things that I and Scooby here know about, is food and ghosts, Velma… And if we say that like, we saw a talking ghost cat, then it's because we saw it," Shaggy swore adamantly, still nervous about the ghostly encounter.

"Reah! Re raw it! Scooby jumped in, waving his front paws excitedly.

Studying the pair for a moment longer, the group decided Shaggy and Scooby firmly believed they had indeed seen a ghost cat. When they were this rattled, it always meant they had encountered something that had terrified them and was possibly of a supernatural nature.

As Velma tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for what had happened to them, a voice was heard nearby.

"Are you talking about little old me?"

All heads jolted and looked around them quickly. In seconds, they zeroed in on the only other thing in the room, besides themselves, a white Persian cat which sat on top of one of the bookshelves staring down at them.

Seeing the talking cat again made Scooby jump into Shaggy's arms, while Zack jumped into Sebastian's arms, shivering with fear. Suddenly a burst of laughter filled the air… it was Mark. He was laughing so hard it seemed he was going to burst. The Hex Girls looked at each other in puzzled confusion trying to make sense of his inexplicable behaviour since none of this warranted humour.

"Oh, I forgot about you…come here, sweetie," Mark coaxed, still chuckling, as he reached out his arms to the white cat who leaped down into his arms. He petted her head then looked up at his friends.

"Guys, I want you all to meet C.A.N.D.Y."

"Candy?" Fred asked. "But if she's a cat, then, how is she able to talk?"

"Simple. She's not a cat…" Mark explained, puzzling his friends even more "… I mean… she's a cat but not a real cat… she's a robot."

"A robot? Really? She doesn't look like a robot…" Thorn murmured thoughtfully, as she studied the robot more closely, trying to find out if there was any detail that might indicate this was a construct and not the very real looking cat she appeared to be.

"Well, of course not! She was made to look real and her name, C.A.N.D.Y., is an acronym for Cybernetic And Nano-technological Device Y-version, or C.A.N.D.Y. for short," Mark continued, petting the little robot, making her purr. "C.A.N.D.Y., say hello to our guests!"

"Hello there, my name's C.A.N.D.Y., and it's a pleasure to meet you all," the robot said in a cute little voice.

"Oh, isn't she adorable?!" Daphne exclaimed, immediately smitten with the construct.

"She's the prototype from a project my father worked on a couple of years ago. He wanted to revolutionize the pet industry by creating robotic pets that mimicked the real animal through the use of a special A.I. chip. Unfortunately, the project didn't become a reality and only C.A.N.D.Y was ever made. I like her a lot and treat her as my house pet."

"Incredible…" Velma said in awe, moving nearer to Mark to take a closer look at the 'cat'. "I've read about this kind of technology when I was building Dogbot, but thought the scientific community were still light-years away from developing it."

"Aw, I doubt she's better than Scooby!" Shaggy scoffed. "Scoob is the world's smartest and most talented dog."

Scooby grabbed a few things that were near him and began juggling them, while at the same time he was balanced a statuette on top of his nose.

"I can believe that, but can he do this?" C.A.N.D.Y. asked as she disappeared from sight.

Nanoseconds later, the robotic cat reappeared still laying in Mark's arms. This action caused Scooby to lose his concentration making him drop everything he had been juggling, losing the statuette which managed to fall on tail. He howled in pain to the amusement of C.A.N.D.Y. and Mark.

"I forgot to mention that C.A.N.D.Y. can become invisible and has the ability to change the colour of her fur and eyes."

Just like magic, C.A.N.D.Y. changed the colour of her fur from white to black, then to orange, before turning back to a white once more. Her eyes had also changed, going from green to red then back to its original colour.

"You see what my dad was going for? He was trying to provide a pet that could do more than a real animal is able to and be personalized to an owner's tastes. He would have revolutionized pet ownership."

"He's a genius, no doubt about it," Zack agreed, amiably.

"Yeah, he really is… another reason why we have to find out what really happened to him and try to get him back," Sebastian declared loudly.

"Okay, getting back to the mystery… now that we have seen where Professor Milnor disappeared, maybe it's time we check out where you saw the ghost for the first time, Mark. Can you take us there?" Fred asked him.

"Sure. We just have to take a small tour through the graveyard. Follow me," Mark told them, as he headed for the door.

Trooping after Mark, they followed him through a bunch of old, dark and spooky corridors until they finally stopped in front of a door. He opened the door to reveal a magnificent dark granite balcony. There was a staircase which led to a huge garden that was incredible, making them wonder just how big it truly was. There were trees as far as the eye could see and the ones that were nearer the gang had branches that looked like claws that appeared to be reaching out to them as they descended the balcony stairs.

Shaggy, Zack, and Scooby-Doo kept as close to wall as they could to keep away from the scary branches. At the bottom of the stairs, they reached the garden and continued walking. Wind began to sigh around them, adding an even creepier element to the atmosphere that was creepy enough already.

After walking for almost 20 minutes, they found themselves at the entrance of a cemetery. The iron gate leading into it was colossal and it looked like it would be difficult to move due to its weight.

Mark walked up to it and attempted to try and push it open but he couldn't budge it. The rest of the group came to his aid and combined their strength to finally push one of the gates open. It screeched horribly as it moved reluctantly open, the sound was ear-piercing and resembled the sound of a wolf howling.

Entering the cemetery, they felt air get colder suddenly leaving them all shivering as they pushed on. The graves around them, some very old covered with moss while others looked brand new. Their path took them toward an area filled with magnificent mausoleums made out of a black stone they could not identify.

Their footsteps were muffled due to the thick moss, grass, and leaves that littered the grounds. Shaggy, Zack and Scooby shivered with each step they took, because they feared they were being watched by someone or something.

"You know, Scoob, this place looks like Spook Central to me," Shaggy shakily, eyes looking everywhere.

"Reah, Spook Rentral," Scooby agreed, nervously.

"Will you two stop with that? This is a graveyard, nothing more, nothing less," Luna scolded, walking behind the cowardly duo. "Do you really think a monster or a ghost will appear out of nowhere and grab the two of you?"

"Yeah!" Both of them exclaimed in chorus. "Like, it's the usual, a monster appears out of nowhere, growls at us, and we run for our lives until we're absolutely sure that we lost him, or we bump against something that makes us stop."

"You two are even bigger scaredy cats than my brother; you know that, don't you?" Sebastian snorted, making everyone laugh.

At last, Mark stopped in front of a huge spooky grave. There were statues of demons and other devilish creatures surrounding it, all covered in moss and blackened by the years. But the most curious element of the grave was a magnificent but incredibly spooky statue of a creature that resembled a vampire biting a young damsel in her neck. They recognized a few elements of the graveyard surrounding the grave from the photo that Mark had sent the Milnor brothers with the Creeper in it. This must have been the place where he had photographed it.

"This is where I first saw the monster which you guys called the Creeper; right over there," Mark said pointing to the place.

Velma, who had the photo with her, pulled it out and stared at it then looked around, verifying it was the right place, after a few minutes study.

"Where did it go after you were able to photograph it?" Fred asked him, as he looked around.

"It walked over that path over there." Mark pointed to a paved pathway that existed between some graves. "He tried to follow it but it literally disappeared."

"Did you check the place for any clues?" Daphne asked.

"No, at least not then… I was too terrified. The next morning I came back here looking for something that could tell me if I was day-dreaming or hallucinating, but I couldn't find anything."

"Well, then we better start searching for something that can point a way for us to investigate further." Fred said thoughtfully.

As Fred finished speaking, Luna thought she saw something. She turned her head to the right to see what it was, but saw nothing. Thorn and Dusk noticed her actions and asked her what was going on.

"What's the matter, girl?" Dusk asked her.

"I thought I saw something," Luna responded, still looking around, which alerted the others something was up.

"What did you see?" Sebastian asked next, his brother began shaking as he looked around frantically for whatever Luna thought she saw.

"I don't know… it was some sort of flash, but I'm not entirely sure," Luna answered irritably, annoyed everyone was riding her about this.

"Maybe it was just your imagination," Thorn suggested.

Luna sighed and shook her head, "no, it wasn't my imagination… I really saw something… its just I don't know what it was for sure."

As they continued trying to find whatever it was Luna had seen, the wind picked up speed and began to resemble a mini twister. Leaves flew through the air causing them to close their eyes from the swirling dust.

Suddenly, a sinister and guttural laugh filled the air making Scooby jump into Shaggy's arms and C.A.N.D.Y. hiss at whatever was making that noise. The laugh went on for what felt like hours but was really only a few minutes, then the wind stopped as suddenly as it started.

Surprised, they looked around then spotted what was making that sinister laugh. Sitting on top of one of the graves was a tall, dark figure which they all assumed was the one responsible for the disappearance of Professor Milnor, the Ghost of Robert Spearitt. His glowing red eyes looked at the gang standing before him.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to see you on my property again, kid!" Spearitt snarled loudly at Mark.

C.A.N.D.Y. kept hissing at the mysterious and scary creature that turned his attention to the others with Mark and said, sneeringly, "Oh, I see you brought company with you. The infamous Mystery Inc., the world's most renowned group of detectives, as well as the Hex Girls, and your cousins Sebastian and Zack."

"How do you know who we are?!" Daphne asked the ghost.

"I know who you are because I can see into the past, present and future! And I can see your future is doomed if you continue to try and help your friend search for his father!" The ghost intoned solemnly, making a mysterious red glowing orb appear before him, just as Mark had described. "I already told him his father is gone! His soul belongs to me and if you know what's good for you, you'll get off my property and never come back!"

"We're not going anywhere until we find Mark's dad!" Fred said firmly.

"D-Don't be s-s-so sure about t-t-t-that, Freddy," Shaggy stuttered as he trembled in place while Scooby ran to the nearest bush to hide.

"If you don't get out, I'll be forced to bring forth the rest of the enemies that you faced over the years!" The Ghost of Robert Spearitt threatened, furious.

"Do whatever you want, they're not real, and neither are you! You're just another creep in a rubber mask and suit!" Sebastian shouted, pulling his Desert Eagle from the holster in his jacket, and targeting the ghost's left shoulder. "Now, get your hands up in the air, or I swear I'll make a hole in your shoulder!"

"Go ahead, shoot me; you can't kill me, because I'm already dead!" Spearitt laughed.

Annoyed with its laughter, Sebastian shot him in the right shoulder. Everyone stared in shock as the ghost made no attempt to avoid being shot and seconds later the bullet passed right through him.

As they all gasped the ghost laughed maniacally and jeered, "See?! I told you that you could not hurt me… but I on the other hand, can certainly hurt you!"

The orb that was flying around him was caught by his right hand then started to glow intensely. Without any kind of warning, it started to throw balls of fire that nearly hit them. But the worst was still to come. The orb glowed once again and some kind of living shadow jumped out of it, landing on the ground, where it started to assume the form of a man with dark greenish clothes and a huge cape, black boots, mounted on a white horse. But its most distinctive feature was its head was a pumpkin!

"ZOINKS!!! It's the Headless Horseman!!!" Shaggy screamed, crawling behind a tombstone, shaking in fear.

"I want a head!!!" The ghostly Headless Horseman bellowed.

The gang noticed something odd about this horseman. He was slightly different than the one they faced at Beth Crane's Halloween Party, but it still resembled it. For one thing, he was bigger and so was the horse, furthermore, the pumpkin on its shoulders had an eerie light coming from it caused by flames burning from its interior.

"If you want my head, come and get it, you freak!" Sebastian yelled at him, as he emptied his weapon into monster, hitting him a couple of times, but seemingly not hurting him. It looked like the monster didn't even feel the bullets.

"I'll have your head for this!" The Headless Horseman yelled again.

"Looks like bullets don't stop him." Dusk said, voice trembling.

Without any kind of warning, the Headless Horseman started to create balls of fire with his hands, firing them at the whole gang, who tried their best to avoid being hit by them. Velma almost got hit in the head by one, but fortunately, she managed to jump out of the way in the nick of time.

"I don't remember the Headless Horseman being able to do that the first time we met him!" Velma shouted to the others, as she checked to see if she'd been hit.

"Does anyone have a plan?!" Mark yelled as he grabbed C.A.N.D.Y., who almost got barbecued by one of the fire balls.

"Yeah, I've got one, like, run everybody!" Shaggy shouted, doing what he suggested.

"Reah, run!" –Scooby agreed, turning tail and running like made after Shaggy who had a good lead already.

"For once, I think Shaggy and Scooby are right. Everybody, run!" Fred barked, fleeing as well.

"I'm not going anywhere! I'll fight this guy with my bare hands, if I have to!" Sebastian shouted angrily, until someone grabbed his left arm and forced him to retreat.

Though just as scared as Shaggy, Zack still remained behind to save his brother.

"Let me go, Zack!" Sebastian yelled, trying to dig his heels in but fear gave Zack a lot of strength and he continued to yank his brother along in his wake as he fled the area.

"Stop thinking you can do anything! Run now; beat up the bad guy, later!" Zack exclaimed, breathlessly.

The Headless Horseman charged after the group, who split up to try and make it harder for their pursuer to get any of them. They used the many tombstones and trees to avoid being hit by the fire balls as they ran. They couldn't stop to look behind them but they could still here the horse's hoof as it pounded after them, getting closer and closer.

"Run away, Mystery Inc., run away! You made your choice by defying me! You can run, but you can't hide! I'll make sure you will regret the moment you and your friends decided to come here!" The Ghost of Robert Spearitt exclaimed, as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Scooby and the rest of the gang to the Headless Horseman


End file.
